Born in Amatrice but adopted and celebrated by the capital, pasta all’amatriciana is a triumph of crispy guanciale, tomato sauce and a generous sprinkle of Pecorino Romano PDO, often enriched with a hint of chili pepper.
This dish is not only a recipe but a piece of gastronomic history that encloses the identity of an entire territory.
The goodness of pasta all’amatriciana also lies in its versatility to dress different pasta shapes, whether long or short, such as bucatini and spaghetti or rigatoni and mezze maniche.
The recipe I’m sharing today is the original one, the version I learned to make here in Rome and which is completely different from the wrong amatriciana I used to eat when I lived in Naples with my mom.
Now take a minute to read the recipe and then… let’s cook and eat!!
See also
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 11 oz pasta
- 7 oz guanciale
- Half glass white wine
- 18 oz peeled tomatoes
- to taste salt
- to taste pecorino romano
Tools
- 1 Knife
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Pot
- 1 Skimmer
- 1 Spoon wooden
Steps
Preparing pasta all’amatriciana is very simple, but for a great result it’s essential to use high-quality ingredients, such as a good guanciale (not the prepackaged diced one), Italian peeled tomatoes and, above all, a good Pecorino Romano PDO (not the pre-grated packaged one).
Let’s look at the individual steps in detail.
First, cut the guanciale into strips after removing the outer rind, place it in a pan without oil and let it “sweat” over low heat.
When the guanciale becomes crispy, deglaze it with the white wine and, when the alcohol has evaporated, use a skimmer to remove the guanciale and transfer it to a small bowl.
Put the peeled tomatoes into the pan, which is still on the heat.
Crush the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, add salt and let the sauce reduce, adding half of the guanciale you had set aside during the last minutes of cooking.
Cook the pasta al dente in plenty of salted water then, using a skimmer, transfer it to the pan with the sauce, add a ladleful of pasta water and finish cooking.
With the heat off, add the grated Pecorino Romano and toss the pasta to emulsify, adding a little more pasta cooking water if necessary.
Plate and finish with another sprinkle of Pecorino and the remaining portion of guanciale you had set aside.
Serve your pasta all’amatriciana and pair it with a good glass of red wine, perhaps one from the Castelli Romani 😉.
