Mother's Day: surprise her with a tasty recipe!

Mother's Day is approaching. A universal event that celebrates the most important figure for every child, the one who with sweetness and passion has allowed us to be the people we are today, first taking care of us and then teaching us the important values for a happy life.

What better way to celebrate your mother on the day dedicated to her, if not with a recipe based on Mediterranean aromas which can surprise her, prepared according to true Italian techniques? This is what Healthy Italia has selected for this great day!

Recipe to share with your mother: Bucatini all'Amatriciana with smoked bacon

For the Italian table, pasta has always been synonymous with conviviality, peace and love for genuine things. Pasta is tasty, easy to cook and guaranteed to be gratifying, much more than other processed meals.

That is why to celebrate Mother's Day we have chosen Bucatini all'Amatriciana, an original recipe from Amatrice (Rieti, Lazio) also popular in Rome and other areas of Italy, characterized by a fresh and pleasant flavor and very simple to make.

The real Italian recipe for Bucatini all'Amatriciana involves the use of 'guanciale', a cured meat obtained from the cheek of the pig which is not very common in the United States. For this reason we propose the variant with smoked bacon, easily available on supermarket shelves.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana with smoked bacon: ingredients for 4 people

• 320 g bucatini
• 200 g tomato sauce or 4-5 ripe tomatoes
• 120 g thickly sliced bacon
• 60 g approx. grated pecorino cheese
• 1 chili pepper or 1 teaspoon of chili sauce
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp coarse salt
• pepper

Instructions

Fill a non-stick saucepan with cold water up to 5 - 6 cm from the edge and let it boil.

Meanwhile, in a non-stick pan, heat a tablespoonful of extra virgin olive oil and the smoked bacon previously cut into cubes, until it becomes golden brown. Add the chili pepper, simmer with a glass of white wine and let it evaporate for a couple of minutes. Remove the bacon and set aside.

Add the tomato sauce and a little salt to the pan, and cook for about 15 minutes. If instead you use fresh tomatoes, blanch them for a few minutes in boiling salted water, drain them, cool them under running water. Then peel them, remove the seeds and cut them into cubes.

Check the water for the pasta: when it boils add a teaspoon of coarse salt and throw in the bucatini, which will have to cook for about 10-12 minutes (check the package instructions).

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the pan, taking care to remove the chili, and add the smoked bacon kept aside. Heat everything together for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from the heat and season with part of the grated pecorino cheese and a pinch of pepper.

Stir well and serve immediately, taking the remaining pecorino to the table.

Happy Mother's Day, for a pleasant day with your family!