Bucatini all’Amatriciana

Bucatini all’Amatriciana is a traditional pasta dish that originated in the town of Amatrice, in the Lazio region of Italy. It became popular in the 19th and 20th centuries in Rome and has since become a Roman classic. It is made with guanciale (pork cheek), red chili flakes, a splash of white wine, tomato sauce, and pecorino romano. It comes together so quick, it makes for an easy and delicious weeknight meal.

Like many Italian recipes, the ingredients list is short, which makes it even more important to get your hands on the highest quality ingredients in order to yield the best results. Let’s begin by talking about the ingredients.

Guanciale: Guanciale is a cured meat made from pork cheek. Until recently, I have had trouble finding this in the US. If you can’t get your hands on guanciale, feel free to use pancetta as a substitute. While it has a slightly different flavor and texture, it is cured in much the same way and works well in this recipe.

Pecorino Romano: Pecorino Romano is a sharp, hard, salty, sheeps milk cheese, with a granular texture and a fascinating history, that I can’t help but share. Since it was easy to store and had a long shelf life, it was a vital food source for the Roman legionarii, and it’s production techiniques have been referenced by several Roman authors of the time, including Varro, Pliny the Elder, and Columella, who was a prominent writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. The Roman legionarii were provided a ration of cheese, along with bread and farro, for sustenance. Pecorino Romano is still produced using the same traditional method. The wheels get salted numerous times by hand and are then aged for more than five months, until they develop a dry and granular texture and a strong taste.

Tomatoes: You can use whole tomatoes and crush them by hand, which is a more traditional method, or if you prefer a silky smooth sauce, substitute a high quality passata, or uncooked tomato puree that has been strained of seeds and skin.

Chili: Use a fresh or dried whole red chili or red pepper flakes. Either of these will do, just add a little at a time to control the heat to your liking.

Pasta Water: Hold on to that pasta water! It truly is the key to obtaining a creamy, silky sauce. You will use a ladle ful or more to balance out your sauce once the pasta is cooked.

One more tip before we get started. It is common in Italian kitchens to utilize a technique referred to as ‘mantecare,’ which can be loosely translated as, ‘whisk.’ It is essentially a process that creates a creamy sauce, or texture without the use of a fat, such as olive oil, butter or lard. This can be achieved by simply adding your al dente pasta to a sauce pan with the sauce, and a little bit of the starchy pasta water. Then, mix the pasta and sauce vigorously over medium high heat. I like to use long kitchen tongs or a long pasta fork. Mix until the sauce and the pasta essentially marry one another. You will know it is done when the sauce takes on a smooth, silky, creamy consistency and the sauce has reduced slightly.

Alright, let’s get started!

To begin, set a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. When it is boiling, add the pasta and cook per package instructions until it is al dente. 

Next, heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the guanciale and brown for 5 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes and then deglaze the pan with white wine. Add the tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes and allow the sauce to simmer over low heat while the pasta is cooking. 

When the pasta has reached al dente, transfer it to the saute pan with the sauce, along with 1/4 cup of the pasta water. 

Cook over high heat, stirring vigorously over medium high heat. I like to use long kitchen tongs or a long pasta fork. Mix until the sauce and the pasta essentially marry one another. You will know it is done when the sauce takes on a smooth, silky, creamy consistency and the sauce has reduced slightly.

Once the pasta is done, turn off the heat and stir in the Pecorino Romano and serve immediately.