GRAZIE MILLE NAPOLI

Now, I was wanting to bake something today but none of the recipes I looked at appealed to me. Don't ask me what it was that I wanted to make. Which was just as well since if I baked something then I'd be obligated to eat it. Instead I thought I'd try one of the recipes from the Cucina Napoletana cookbook. Pasta, I love pasta and this recipe was a winner.
A few months back my friend and fellow blogger Mel of Cooking Schmooking went to Las Vegas with our friend and cook book author Marlena Spieler. I don't know all the details of this convention other than it was about the city of Napoli Italy and we (myself, Mel and another fellow blogger Shankari ) were given an award for our blogs and lots of goodies that Mel was good enough to haul home for us. One of the gifts we received was the cookbook Cucina Napoletana. I love Italian food and went through this cookbook marking the recipes that especially appealed to me. This is one of the recipes- Maccheroncella Arribbiati: Maccheroncelli with tomato and chili.
Maccheroncella is a hollow tube pasta and Arribbiato means "angry" in Italian. Angry referring to the spice or hotness of the sauce.

Maccheroncelli Arribbiati
serves 4

1lb Maccheroncelli pasta such as bucatini, or ziti or penne
2 oz olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
31/2 oz pancetta or speck diced
10 oz (about 4 or 5)fresh ripe plum tomatoes chopped
1-2 fresh red chili deseeded and chopped (I couldn't find a red chili so used a Thai chili) plus about a 1/4 tsp dried red chili flakes. I like spicy.
fresh ground black pepper
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
freshly grated or shaved Percorino cheese.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta, cook until al dente.
In a frying pan heat the olive oil then add the onion and sweat for a few minutes until soft.
Add the pancetta or speck, tomatoes, and chili. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook for a few minutes stirring so the sauce does not stick.
If the sauce is too thick add the pasta water a little at a time until the desired consistency. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, stir to combine.
Sprinkle with plenty of Parmesan and Percorino Cheeses. Serve immediately.