Amatriciana
You don’t get more Roman than this.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 lb. bucatini
1 can (28 oz.) San Marzano tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion, chopped fine
1 tbsp. butter
Olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 - 1/2 lb. guanciale
3 hot red peppers, chopped fine
Salt & pepper to taste
2-3 handfuls Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese
Add the can of tomatoes to a large mixing bowl, and break down the tomatoes with your hands. Get dirty! You want the majority of the tomatoes broken apart - but a few little chunks of tomato here and there is good. In fact, we like that!
Slice guanciale into thin slices - about 1” long and 1/2” thick. *See notes below on pork options for this dish.
Coat large skillet with olive oil. Set heat to medium.
Add guanciale. Cook until golden brown. Stir as it cooks so it cooks evenly.
Remove guanciale to separate bowl and set aside.
Add white wine to skillet - deglaze and cook down about 1 minute.
Add butter - incorporate until melted.
Add onion - cook until golden/translucent.
Add tomatoes and peppers. Stir to incorporate all ingredients.
Simmer for 20-25 minutes.
While the sauce is cooking, start boiling your pasta water. Once water starts boiling, salt heavily, and add pasta. Check instructions on your pasta for cooking al dente - it will vary based on whether your pasta is fresh or dried. (See recipe: How to Cook Pasta Al Dente)
Using tongs, start adding your cooked pasta into your sauce. DO NOT drain your pasta. Lightly fold pasta into your sauce until fully coated.
Salt & pepper to taste - use sparingly, as the cheese will add salt to your pasta as well.
Finally, add Locatelli cheese to the pasta and incorporate.
Serve on individual plates/pasta dishes.
Notes:
We have an annoying amount of notes on this pasta because it’s one of the four classic Roman pasta’s that can’t really be messed with. There are a couple slight recipe variations here and there, but the consensus on how to make this pasta and which pasta to use is pretty tight.
#1 rule: NO GARLIC. We know, a blasphemous statement for this show. But, Italian rules are rules. Trust us, this sauce is NOT lacking for flavor.
Pork Notes: the proper pork to make with this dish is guanciale, which is cured pork cheek. It’s very fatty and very flavorful, but can be hard to find if you’re not near a well-stocked butcher or Italian market. A very viable substitute is pancetta, which they sell at Trader Joe’s. So, if you can’t find pancetta, might be time for you to move onto another sauce. Or maybe move altogether.
Pasta Notes: if you see this dish on a menu, or just anywhere in general, 99% of the time, it’s made with bucatini. That being said, if you’re dying to make this sauce and can’t find bucatini or want to use what’s in the pantry, any hearty pasta that can withstand a substantial sauce will do. We suggest rigatoni as an option.
GoodCooking Picks:
Favorite Pasta Bowls: Spode Heritage Pasta Bowl
Favorite Pecorino: Ambriola Locatelli Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
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