To prepare the Neapolitan Pasta and Potatoes, start by finely chopping celery, carrot and onion (that is known in Italian as a “soffritto”). Peel and wash the potatoes and cut them into cubes.
Then pour a generous amount of olive oil into a large pot and add the pork lardo (or if you don’t have it, you can replace it with bacon) and let it heat over a low heat for a few minutes. Add the chopped onion, celery and carrot. After a few minutes, add the potatoes and let them cook for a few minutes, stirring to avoid burning the bottom. Add also rosemary, parmesan rind (first washed and scratched the outside), salt and pepper.
When you’re done, give everything a good turn. Add enough hot water to cover it all and close it with a lid. Let the potato cubes simmer for about 30 minutes until they are almost tender. Add boiling water when needed.
Then, when the potatoes are tender, crush part of them with the back of the wooden spoon and add the pasta in the pot. Immediately add enough hot water to cover it all and let the pasta simmer over a moderate flame, stirring from time to time to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add boiling water as needed to keep things loose and liquid.
At the end of cooking the pasta and potatoes must be creamy and almost dry. Then eliminate the rosemary.
When things are just about done, add grated Parmesan cheese to taste and stir everything. Taste and adjust for seasoning.