Spicy Tomato SauceSalsa Arrabbiata

• 3 cups (one 28-ounce can) canned San Marzano or other Italian plum tomatoes, with juices
• 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions sliced in 1/4-inch-thick half-moons (about 1 1/2 cups)
• About 6 ounces (1 cup) prosciutto end or thick bacon cut in 1/2-inch strips (see below)
• 3 bay leaves
• 8 to 10 whole Tuscan-style peperoncini in vinegar, drained, seeded, and sliced in strips (1/2 cup), or more to taste
• Hot water from the pasta-cooking pot
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano
• A 12-inch or larger skillet

1. Dump the tomatoes and juices into a large bowl, and squeeze the tomatoes into small chunks with your hands.
2. Pour the olive oil into the skillet, toss in the onion slices and the prosciutto or bacon strips, and set over medium-high heat.
3. Stir well, toss in the bay leaves, and cook, stirring and shaking the pan occasionally.
4. If using bacon, start over medium heat and turn it up as the bacon releases its fat.
5. After 5 minutes or so, when the onions have softened, drop the peperoncino strips into a clear part of the skillet, and toast them in the hot spot for a minute.
6. Pour the crushed tomatoes into the pan; rinse out the tomato can and bowl with 1 cup of pasta-cooking water, and pour it into the skillet too.
7. Add the salt, stir well, and rapidly bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat so it is bubbling steadily.
8. Cook at a gentle boil for 8 to 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and reduced by a third or so.
9. The onions and peppers should be cooked through but still retain their shape and texture to the bite.
10. Remove bay leaves, then toss and cook the pasta together with salsa arrabbiata, following the procedure on page 105.
11. Remove the skillet from the heat, and toss in the cheese just before serving.
12. A fine substitute for bacon in this recipe and others is small pieces cut from the end of a prosciutto.
13. This is a chunk of dense and flavorful meat (with a layer of flavorful fat) at the shank end of a prosciutto, all thats left after the rest of the ham has been sliced paper-thin, in the traditional manner.
14. The next time you are in an Italian deli or grocery, ask if they have one to sell you; its a useful piece of meat to have on hand (and much less expensive than regular prosciutto).
15. With the skin on, it will keep for a long time in your refrigerator or freezer, and you can use small amounts of the salt-cured meat to add flavor to sauces, soups, and pasta, wherever you would use bacon.
16. Remove skin before cutting the prosciutto.
17. You can also slice off a piece of the skin and use the layer of fat underneath to lend flavor to dishes.
18. Just rub the fat over a frying pan, or the surface of a grill, to apply a thin film of grease.
19. I like a dry pasta herelinguine, ziti, campanelle, radiatori, or capellini.

san, extravirgin olive oil, onions, bacon, bay leaves, peperoncini, water, salt, larger skillet

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spicy-tomato-sauce-salsa-arrabbiata-384438 (may not work)