Clean and finely chop the onions .Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the chopped onion and let it cook slowly until it becomes a sort of cream (take care not to let it burn; add 1or 2 spoonfuls of hot water if necessary). Now add the chopped tomatoes, a pinch of salt, the sugar and the chopped chilli pepper (or even 2, if you prefer a spicier sauce). Leave to simmer slowly for another 15-20 minutes. Cook the pici (or spaghetti) in boiling, salted water until “al dente”; then strain and toss in the pan with the hot sauce. Sprinkle with grated pecorino and serve. 

1) This recipe for “sugo finto” (= fake ragu) comes from the Casentino area; in the province of Arezzo, among the Tuscan Apennines. In the past, in particular during the war and in periods of famine, the people from this area, which is rather isolated and inaccessible, had to make do with the meagre local resources. This “sugo finto” had a flavour that was, vaguely, similar to “sugo di carne” (= meat ragu), a cornerstone of the cuisine of the Casentino area and of Tuscan cooking in general. It could be made, however, with ingredients available to everyone (meat was a thing for the rich!) and, as is often the case with simple dishes, it’s delicious (and not only with pici or spaghetti).