Pasta e Fagioli alla Romana

Set a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the guanciale and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has fully rendered and the cubes are golden at the edges, about 6 min. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Leave the fat in the pot.

Add the onion to the guanciale fat. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring regularly, until completely soft and translucent, about 8 min. Don't let it colour.

Add the tomato paste and stir it into the onion. Cook for 1–2 min until it darkens slightly and smells less raw.

Add the beans and stir to coat them in the base. Pour in the water or stock and bring to a gentle boil.

Scoop roughly one-third of the beans out of the pot into a bowl. Crush them with a fork — not smooth, just broken — then stir them back in. This is the move that gives the broth its body.

Taste the broth and season with salt. It needs to be properly seasoned now, before the pasta goes in and absorbs much of the liquid.

Add the ditali directly to the pot. Cook at a steady simmer, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until the pasta is al dente — 2 min less than the packet time, usually 8–10 min total. The broth will thicken considerably.

Stir in the reserved guanciale. The consistency should be a thick porridge: drag a spoon across the surface and the channel should close slowly. If it's too thick, add hot water a ladle at a time.

Take the pot off the heat. Drizzle over the olive oil, crack over black pepper generously, and serve immediately in warmed bowls with pecorino on the side.