Name: Spaghetti all'Amatriciana
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 100 grams of guanciale (or good quality pancetta, sliced thinly, or 3.5 oz); 1 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 red chilli pepper (seeded and deveined, minced); 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional, but I like it!); 400 grams San Marzano type whole plum tomatoes with the juices (or 14 oz can); 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese; salt and pepper; 200-250 grams of spaghetti or rigatoni (or 8-9 oz (2- 2.5 oz per person is typical, but you do you!))

Thank you Stanley Tucci.

Have you guys been catching ‘Searching for Italy’ on CNN these past weeks?

Searching For Italy

Stanley Tucci is hosting one of our new must-see tv shows. He is travelling across Italy, sharing the food, people, and hidden stories behind the food and people. It’s everything you want in a saliva producing, belly rumbling good time of a foodie show. Plus we get a good history lesson with each episode. For us, it takes us back to our visits to Italy, as if we were there just last month.

From the crowded narrow alleys of Naples and the most amazing pizza, and Sorrento/Positanto with all those lemons, to Rome with the most iconic pasta dishes ever, and then last week to Bologna and a great lesson on Prosciutto, Balsamic Vinegar, true Bolognese sauce and Mortadella. Each episode makes me want to run into the kitchen and make one of the dishes he featured. So so good! You need to catch up on this show if you haven’t seen the first three episodes!

I’ve been enamoured with Stanley Tucci’s love of cooking from early on, in his movies. Did you know that his love of cooking even translated into a cookbook of his Italian family recipes. And he has a new one on the way!

So anyway, back to being inspired by Searching for Italy. The Rome episode was a pure delight in pasta dishes. The one that brought back so many good memories for both of us was the Rigatoni all’Amatriciana. The Carbonara was also a joy to watch being made. Thankfully I have my Carbonara recipe on the blog already, and it passed the test as far as the episode was concerned. But the Amatriciana was a dish that both Jim and I ordered at various times while in Rome and yet I have not got up on the blog. Jim loves a red sauce with a bit of kick, so this is was no brainer to order. And as we learned, from the dish that Stanley sampled, the less ingredients, the better.

What is all’Amatriciana Anyway?

I’ll let the experts over at Great Italian Chefs explain:

Named after Amatrice, a mountain town in Lazio, Amatriciana is one of the region’s most famous pasta dishes (along with Gricia, Cacio e pepe, Arrabbiata, and arguably the most famous, Carbonara). All are quick and easy to make, but must be cooked with care and attention.

Quality ingredients are the key here; San Marzano tomatoes may be more expensive than an average tin but are well worth the price tag. They have fewer seeds, which make them great for sauces, and their flavour is sweeter and a little less acidic. Guanciale is cured pig jowl, it has a stronger, porkier flavour than other cured meats and really adds depth of flavour to the dish (though a high quality pancetta can be used instead if you can’t find it anywhere).

Amatriciana is traditionally paired with Bucatini, which is a thick, hollow spaghetti-like pasta that catches the sauce wonderfully, but spaghetti or even penne can be used here instead.

There are a plethora of recipes online. After scouring dozens, I came to realize that like most recipes, this one has as many opinions and variations as there are Nonnas. But I decided that I would try and adhere to the the dish that they showcased on the episode.

What is in My Amatriciana Sauce?

Guanciale

Stick to the very best and the fewest ingredients possible. So this means guanciale, cured pork jowl. The flavour of guanciale is so unique and pronounced. Instead of coming from the belly, it comes from the pig’s cheek. It’s usually flavoured with a combination of black pepper and herbs like rosemary, sage, and bay leaves. Guanciale is extremely fatty, and both the fat and meat add a tremendous amount of rich, nutty, slightly funky flavour to any dish. This cut and its fat gives dishes a buttery depth that just can’t be copied. That funky flavour of guanciale melds with that of the cooked tomatoes in this dish, but is perfect in Carbonara as well. I highly recommend searching it out. Do you have an Italian or European deli or butcher in the area? Then check them out, most either have it or can bring it in. Guanciale can be replaced by pancetta if needed. Bacon is a last resort. If you see a recipe that uses prosciutto, run! You will love the hunt and the results, I promise.

Tomatoes

The original recipes uses true whole San Marzano tomatoes that are crushed by hand and added to the sautéed guanciale. We cannot get true San Marzano tomatoes over here. The best we can get is canned San Marzano TYPE tomatoes. Considered the most famous plum tomato from Italy, San Marzano tomatoes are grown at the base of Mount Vesuvius near Naples in rich volcanic soil, and are the only ones that can be truly called San Marzano on a label. The rest are just hopeful wannabes. So use the best you can find. I decided to use the jar of plum tomatoes that I personally preserved with dear Italian friends, so I figured that the love that went into that jar must add some flavour! Using whole tomatoes that you get to crush between your fingers in just the best sensation!

Red Chilli Pepper

Use a fresh hot red pepper, Thai or otherwise. Slice it in half, remove the seeds and de-vein, and mince one half for this dish. And don’t touch your eyes! This should be enough for the sauce. You can also use dried chilli flakes if needed. You want some heat in this dish. Use as much as you know your audience can handle, without overwhelming the final dish.

Pecorino Romano Cheese

Is it the same as Parmesan? NO. Pecorino Romano is a cheese made from sheep’s milk. It is aged for less time than Parmigiano Reggiano, so it has a tangier, saltier taste than the nuttier, milder Parmigiano which is made from cow’s milk. Freshly grated is best. Get a hunk and grate it yourself, this makes the best finish to the dish.

Additional Options that may pass the Stanley Tucci Test:

Dry white wine for deglazing the pan before adding the tomatoes, and fresh basil to finish the dish. Anything on top of these ingredients is unnecessary (I’m looking at you, onions and garlic) As for the pasta, bucatini, spaghetti and rigatoni all seem to be acceptable. Since I need to rely on gluten free pastas, I use either Rummo Spaghetti or Rigatoni. The Rummo line of pastas are made right in Italy, and have such a superior flavour and bite. Even their gluten free versions are a joy to use.

Final Words

So you can see, it is really is a simple list of ingredients. Salt and pepper are allowed, but the rest is a simple creation of sautéed guanciale and chilli pepper, tomatoes that simmer in the fat of the pork, with a bit of pasta water and pecorino added at the end to create a sauce that is rich, flavourful, and sticks to the pasta in the best way possible. This dish isn’t for for the faint of heart. Even though the ingredient list is small, it is a rich dish. A bowl of this pasta, with a bright green crunchy salad to balance it, is the best way to enjoy it. Oh and of course with a crispy Rosé wine is what I do. If you aren’t into Rosé, then go with a red wine, but make it a lighter, brighter red, like Sangiovese or Pinot Noir.

You will not regret making this, I promise! It is so much easier than you would think. It is really just about the quality of ingredients.

Love Jen