Sugar and Thyme...

Thoughts from Mark Bittman

If you've read any of the Michael Pollan books in recent years, the information Mark Bittman presents below is nothing new. However, despite my interest in and desire to "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." I will still catch myself inhaling a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger (no tomato, thank you) and fries on a few highly shameful occasions. My cheeks burn even now, just thinking of it. It's not the act of eating the food that I'm uncomfortable with, but it's the pleasure, the comfort, the familiarity that I find in that hot greasy mess of a meal that makes me so squeamish. How did a fast food fry-up become nostalgia fare? 

And what about those people for whom the $.99 Value Menu makes the difference between a full belly and an empty one? People who don't have a grocery store within walking distance, people who have to take public transportation for their weekly shopping trips - how can we expect them to choose fresh veg or fruit (both of which are highly delicate and highly perishable) over something frozen, portable, or ready-made?

I don't actually have answers to these questions, and I don't expect the food industry to answer back too quickly either, but it's important for those of us who continue to think about ways in which our bodies and the environment are impacted by the food we eat to recognize that the mere consideration of these things is a luxury. An important one, but a luxury none the less. 

Bucatini All'Amatriciana

The first time I tried this dish it was a disasterous failure. It's not that it's overly complicated - on the contrary, it's a straighforward, fast and easy dish, but somehow I managed to crash and burn quite nicely. Four years later, after seeing Giada De Laurentiis and her aunt Raffy make it this afternoon on the Food Network, I figured it was time to redeem myself.

So I went to the grocery store to arm myself with the necessities:

1# of bucatini or percatelli (both pastas have a pinhole running through the length of the noodle - if you can't find one, spaghetti will do)
8 oz. of cubed or diced pancetta
14 oz. of crushed tomatoes
1 medium spanish onion, cut in half then sliced thinly
2 cloves of garlic, peeled but whole
3/4 cup dry white wine
crushed red pepper flakes
salt
olive oil
1 cup pecorino romano cheese

First, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Then, in your largest saute pan (something that will hold the sauce plus your pound of pasta) coat the bottom with the oil and cook the pancetta cubes over medium heat until they're crispy, 7-10 minutes. Remove the pancetta (drain it on paper if you'd like) but allow the fat to remain in the bottom of your pan. Add the onions, garlic cloves, and a generous pinch of salt. Sweat the onions for 5 minutes or until they're no longer rigid and becoming translucent.

By this time your water should be boiling - add the pasta with a generous handful of salt and cook for 1 minute less than listed on the package (this is one of my tricks - for me, the pasta is always perfectly al dente if I follow this rule). 

As the pasta boils, add the white wine and pepper flakes to your sauce - kick up the heat to medium or medium/high to help with the wine evaporation. Simmer the onions in the vino for a few minutes or until the liquid's volume has reduced by about half. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir. Allow the sauce to bubble, then (carefully without burning yourself) taste for seasoning. Add salt and more pepper if needed. 

When the pasta is ready, transfer the noodles directly to the sauce. Add the pancetta to the top and toss the sauce, noodles, and pork together along with the pecorino cheese. Serve immediately - enjoy!