Pasta alla Gricia

• 6 ounces salt pork, minced
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely minced
• 1 small, dried red chile pepper, crushed, or 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes
• Coarse sea salt
• 12 ounces bucatini or other dried string pasta
• 2 cups just-grated pecorino
• Freshly cracked pepper

1. Place the pasta cooking pot filled with abundant water over a lively flame while you prepare the sauce.
2. In a saute pan over a medium flame, heat the salt pork, permitting it to color and crisp and give up its perfumed fat.
3. With a slotted spoon, remove the crisped salt pork and leave it to rest on absorbent paper towels.
4. In the remaining fat, saute the onion until translucent, taking care not to let it color, and add the crushed chile, stirring it about with the onion.
5. Remove the pan from the flame.
6. The water should be boiling and ready to receive the pasta now.
7. Add the sea salt to the boiling water with the pasta, cook it to al dente, and drain.
8. Reserve 1/2 cup or so of its cooking water.
9. The pasta should still be somewhat wet.
10. Place it in a warmed, shallow bowl.
11. Pour the onion over the pasta along with 1 cup of the pecorino and several tablespoons of the pasta cooking water.
12. Grind pepper very generously over all and toss the pasta, coating each strand.
13. Strew the pasta with the crisped salt pork and grind over more pepper.
14. Present the pasta, passing the remaining pecorino and the pepper grinder.

salt pork, yellow onion, pepper, salt, bucatini, pecorino, freshly cracked pepper

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/pasta-alla-gricia-391113 (may not work)