Among the most famous dishes of the Roman culinary tradition is our subject today: spaghetti with pancetta and pecorino cheese, a recipe that is regarded as the true ancestor of pasta sauce ‘all’amatriciana’. What unites these two recipes from Lazio is the use of pancetta, pepper and ‘pecorino romano’ cheese, while the ingredient that differentiates them is the tomato, not included in the sauce described here. For the preparation of this tasty pasta course you can decide whether to use long pasta like spaghetti (as in this recipe), tonnarelli or bucatini, or to use short pasta like rigatoni. The end result will be delicious with a sauce that is so easy it can be prepared whilst the pasta is cooking. Are you ready to cook with us? Just follow the recipe and you will have a traditional dish from Lazio!

Cook the spaghetti in plenty of lightly salted water. Meanwhile, cut the bacon into strips and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring often. When the pasta is ‘al dente’, drain and keep a little cooking water. Transfer the spaghetti to the pan with the bacon and sauté for a few minutes to blend the flavours. Season with pepper and pecorino cheese and serve immediately.