The key to this dish is to be generous with the wine and to cook the spaghetti for the last couple of minutes in the wine sauce. I love it with pecorino or parmesan but it’s also good without.

Method

• Heat the oil in a large deep frying-pan and add the onion with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir, partially cover and gently sweat the onion until soft and light golden, for 10-15 minutes. Add the wine and bay leaves and cook, uncovered, for about five minutes stirring occasionally.

• Fill a large pan with water and bring to the boil. When the water boils add the rock/coarse salt, and spaghetti and cook in accordance with the packaging instructions or until “al dente”. TIP: drain the spaghetti two minutes before the end of the cooking time and finish cooking in the wine to give it extra flavour.

• Reserving about a cup of the cooking water, drain the spaghetti – and add it to the pan of wine sauce. Stir for a couple of minutes over medium-high heat, to allow the spaghetti to finish cooking in the wine. If a little dry, add some of the reserved pasta water, and keep on stirring until the pasta is cooked “al dente”.

• Remove the bay leaves and top with freshly grated pecorino or parmesan cheese to taste.
  
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