Bucatini con salsa di Pomodoro e Ricotta Did you know that the average human body comfortably consumes two pounds of food in one sitting? Hundreds of years ago, high society Romans found this weight to be less than satisfactory and devised a way to consume four, six, even ten pounds during the course of one meal. Their method was similar to bulimia, but with a different goal in mind: gluttony, not emaciation. This brilliant act of binging and purging, only to binge again, was executed by a select few disproportionately wealthy men, who threw lavish parties during which everyone wore loose fitting clothes and reclined on specially designed "eating couches." The meals were ample, up to ten courses, and the booze just kept on coming. When a man decided that he was finished with his spit-roasted wild boar or his turkey drumstick, he tossed it on the floor, (just another way of saying to his slaves, "I’m all through with that.") He then staggered to the vomitorium to make room for more. A political economist might comment on the irony of the supremely wealthy consuming more than their share only to spit it back up, as the gap between rich and poor widened; I however, a political economy major, think those guys really had something going: they made throwing up cool. We’re living in good times, folks. Eat, puke and eat again! What You’ll Need
1 pound bucatini
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pancetta, minced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 yellow onion, minced
1 can San Marzano tomatoes
3 sprigs basil, leaves torn up
A pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup pecorino cheese, grated
2 tablespoons butter
Kosher salt to taste
Feeds four (or one) What To Do
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the pancetta and the garlic. When the garlic starts to brown, add the onion and cook till softened. Add the tomatoes, half the basil and the red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the remaining basil. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water. Place the ricotta cheese, half the grated pecorino and half the sauce in pasta bowl. Mix well. Add the pasta along with the remaining sauce and the cheese. Toss and serve.
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