2-3 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 package of any dried pasta

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove

½ cup chopped Italian cured meat such as pancetta, guanciale, etc.

¼ cup tomato paste

1 tbsp miso paste

1/2 cup heavy cream (or ¾ cup half and half)

1 tbsp butter

½ cup reserved pasta water

***

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta + cook until slightly more al dente than you’d prefer. (This is my rule of thumb for cooking any pasta dish because the pasta continues to cook while it’s being tossed in sauce.) Meanwhile:

Heat a large skillet on medium-high. Add chopped pancetta (or whatever Italian cured meat you are using) to the skillet and cook to desired crispness. Set aside.

In the same skillet (which hopefully has around 1-2 tsp of rendered fat from the meat) add 1 tbsp olive oil + chopped garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant but not crispy or brown.

Add tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes until it turns deep red. Stir in miso paste and cook for another minute or so.

Add heavy cream, stir until incorporated, and remove skillet from heat. At this point, season to your desired level of salty-ness (that’s if the miso doesn’t make it salty enough for you but remember, you’re going to be topping this bad boy with crispy salty meat so don’t get crazy).

Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Add to skillet, mix until incorporated.

Add cooked pasta to sauce along with 1 tbsp butter. Toss until the pasta is silky and evenly coated.

Plate, top with crispy cured meat, serve!

‍