Fresh Pasta Sauce in a Flash

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As everyone knows, I hold Italian food close to my heart, and in my kitchen as often as possible. Lately I've been preparing lots of pasta, and wanted to share two delicious (and easy) fresh sauces to serve up when you're short on time.

Bucatini All'Amatriciana (top left)

While your pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Sauté pancetta (amount to your liking) in a little olive oil until it's crisp. Add in chopped onions, garlic and chili flakes, and cook with crispy pancetta until onions are soft. Add in crushed plum tomatoes, and simmer for 5 minutes. 1 minute before the pasta is ready, finish cooking it in the pan with the sauce until it combines and thickens up the sauce. Remove from heat and add grated pecorino cheese!

Cacio e Pepe

Make this sauce while your pasta is cooking. Start by toasting black peppercorns to bring out their fragrance. In a pestle & mortar, crush the peppercorns. You can also put them on a cutting board with waxed paper, and bash them with a heavy frying pan for a little kitchen therapy.

When spaghetti is almost al dente, add to a frying pan on medium heat and slowly add your cracked pepper, grated pecorino cheese (about 2 cups) and 1 - 1 1/2 cups of water. Continue to cook, tossing your pasta until it's completely creamy and flecked with the pepper.

Craving more sauce? Pair your pasta with one of David Rocco's Fresh Pasta Sauces.

For everything Italiano, have a look inside Cooking Channel's Italian Cooking Collection.

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