Amatrice, a town and commune in the province of Rieti (in northern Lazio), about 90 miles northeast of Rome, is home to one of Italy’s most famous dishes, pasta all’Amatriciana.
It’s a simple dish comprised of three principal ingredients: guanciale, tomatoes and Pecorino cheese.
Let’s explore these ingredients a bit:
Guanciale: A cured pork product, widely used in central Italy, that comes from the pork jowl (cheek). By comparison, pancetta comes from the belly of the pig. Guanciale is salted and cured for several weeks. When cooked, its rendered fat melds with the tomatoes and lends the sauce a deep, rich, porky flavor.
Tomatoes: You can use fresh tomatoes (Pomodori plelati or peeled tomatoes) when available, though canned tomatoes [pomodori San Marzano (a variety of plum tomatoes)] work just fine. As for canned tomatoes, I prefer the texture of whole tomatoes; just crush them yourself.
Pecorino cheese: Traditionally, pecorino (sheep’s milk) from Amatrice is used; it’s not as salty as pecorino Romano.
A dash of dry white wine is added to the sauce. Chile pepper is often incorporated. Garlic is not generally used, but the garlic lover in me may have added a clove or two 😮
Pasta all’Amatriciana is typically served with bucatini, a thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the center (like a straw); according to some, the hole allows for more even cooking of the pasta. Alternatively, you can serve with spaghetti.
The beauty of Italian cooking is that just a handful of ingredients, ideally, the best quality you can find, is transformed into such deliciousness. Case in point!
I made bucatini using the KitchenAid pasta extruder attachment. I used a basic pasta dough ratio of 100 grams 00 flour for each egg. Just drop walnut-sized pieces of dough into the extruder and voilà, within seconds the extruder will extrude bucatini.
And for fun, a green variety of bucatini; spinach lends the bucatini its shade of green.
Bucatini all'Amatriciana
Ingredients
- 4 ounces guanciale, cut into lardons/strips
- pinch of chile flakes (peperoncino)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 28 ounce canned whole tomatoes
- salt and pepper
- 12 ounces bucatini or spaghetti
- 2 ounces Pecorino, freshly grated
Instructions
- Cook the guanciale in a skillet over low heat (no oil needed). Add the peperoncino and cook until the guanciale is golden. With a slotted spoon, remove the guanciale and set aside.
- Turn up the heat, add the wine and cook until it evaporates and the alcohol flavor dissipates.
- Turn the heat down, add the garlic and sautè for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes. Mash the tomatoes with a large, wooden spoon (a potato masher also works well), season with salt and pepper and simmer over low heat, about 20 minutes.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the pasta and cook until just al dente.
- Add the reserved guanciale to the tomato sauce. Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add half the Pecorino. Toss/stir to combine.
- Divide amongst bowls. Serve with extra grated Pecorino on top.