OK this is simple recipe…you can make like I did on twatter using fresh tomatoes or you can use canned whole peeled tomatoes which you then crush by hand. Either way will yield a delicious sumptuous meal that is easily enjoyed.
Ingredients:
8 ounces of bucatini or other long pasta
- if you have a kitchen scale, I prefer to weigh using metric and to use 100 grams of pasta per person. A typical box of pasta has 454g of pasta by weight so each box has about 4.5 servings as I cook it. The 100 grams is roughly 400 kcal which may be a little higher than you necessarily want to eat, but most pasta enjoyers will typically eat this much whether they plan to or not so might as well plan according to reality. For this recipe I would probably cook 200 - 250 grams of pasta and figure that would feed 2 people who are really hungry or maybe 4 vegans; if you need more multiply the recipe by the numbers you need.
4 ounces of guanciale
- A note on guanciale. Guanciale is a pig’s cheek which has been cured with some spices and herbs (typically thyme is the herb on widely available guanciale in the US). Guanciale has a distinct and slightly sweet flavor in my opinion and your Amatriciana will be superior if you use it. However, if guanciale is not available to you or is cost prohibitive (My guanciale spot is typically $11.99/pound) you can use Pancetta as an alternative or an uncured bacon or salted pork belly. Ideally you want to avoid hickory or sugar cured bacons (applewood too), these may make a tasty pasta in their own right but it’s really not the flavors we’re going for in an Amatriciana.
2 cloves of garlic, crushed with flat side of knife
- Optional, some Italian food autists will tell you no garlic in amatriciana, but some equally autistic Italians will use it so who the fuq knows. If you like it, use it, or you can leave out. I have also seen some paesani use onion in this dish but I think it’s unnecessary (and I like to use onion). Onions tend to add sweetness but as this dish uses tomato in addition to the guanciale I don’t think it needs it…but again if you like it with onion feel free to add, maybe use 1/4 - 1/2 of a small onion diced; it’s up to you.
Tomatoes - about 4 vine ripe tomatoes or a handful or two of cherry or grape tomatoes
- My recipes are not an exact science so you’re going to have to eyeball it a little bit. This is not a sunday gravy so there is not a glut of sauce it’s really to coat the pasta and to make the guanciale the star of the show. If using canned tomatoes, I would use 4 or 5 of the whole peeled tomatoes from the can and hand crush or chop them up.
White wine
- Any white wine will do, for cooking I usually say to use the cheapest wine you’re willing to drink and enjoy. I would probably opt for less sweet wines and avoid Riesling or other dessert wines for this recipe. In the video I made, I used Sauvignon Blanc which is probably my favorite white. Pick your own it won’t really change that much of the flavor profile.
Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese for plating.
- Try to grate your pecorino fine, this incorporates better in the pasta. If you end up with long strands of pecorino don’t worry, it will still taste terrific.
That’s it for ingredients, it is a simple dish.
Instructions:
Prep and cooking time for this dish should yield you a delicious meal in 30 minutes at the most; if you keep your ingredients handy, you could be ready in 15 - 20 minutes but let’s not get greedy…a half an hour is pretty quick.
First thing to do is fill a large pot with a generous amount of water and heat it up to boiling
- I don’t know how spergs measure out water when filling up a pasta pot, I generally fill the pot to within 2 or 3 inches of the top and figure I’ve got about 3 to 4 liters in the pot. You want your pasta to be able to move freely as it boils so you need a fair amount; if you don’t have enough water it may cook unevenly and is just harder to do.While waiting for the water to boil, cube your guanciale, chop or crush your tomatoes and crush your garlic.
- Cut guanciale into cubes about your average crouton size, I don’t mind them a little big but cut them into the size you think will work best.Turn a medium/large sauté pan on medium heat, once hot add the guanciale
- you don’t need to use olive oil in this dish as the guanciale’s fat will create the fat base needed to cook the ingredients. If you really want some olive oil or you put it in by accident, don’t worry it will be fine and still taste great.After 5 minutes or so add the garlic if using (or onions if you like) and sweat the vegetables for about two minutes. (Skip to step 6 if not using)
- Sweating the vegetables means to keep them moving in the pan while getting them hot and sizzling without burning or browning. If you’re using onion in this dish you will probably want to go a little longer than two minutes until the onions are soft. Garlic may brown quickly (and turn bitter) so keep an eye on it to avoid that.Pour your white wine into the pan, should boil rapidly, scrape off any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- This is called deglazing and is an important step. Doing this before the tomatoes are added will also infuse the meat with some of the flavors of the wine. All of the alcohol will boil off (alcohol’s boiling point is actually quite low) and only the wine’s flavor will be left behind.After the wine is added, add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes to your pan and give it a good stir. Lower heat to med - low and stir occasionally.
At this point the pasta water should be boiling, add salt and then the pasta, stirring occasionally to keep pasta from sticking together.
- I normally recommend 10g of salt per liter of water when cooking pasta (approximates the saltiness of sea water) which normally equates to 30g of salt. This dish is a salty dish however (guanciale and pecorino cheese have a saltiness to themselves) so I would step it back to 15g.Halfway through the pasta cooking time, take a ladle or two of pasta water and add it to your sauce. Mash the tomatoes with the back of your wooden spoon to get the flavors and liquid dispersed in the sauce.
- This is an important step and will make your sauce more viscous and give it that consistency required to coat your pasta and make a delicious meal.At the end of your pasta cooking time, taste a noodle for done-ness.
- this is the best way to test your pasta, don’t waste time throwing against the refrigerator or wall, that’s faek and ghey. Also, you want your pasta al’dente which means a bit chewy. If you don’t have to chew it it’s going to make you fat.If the pasta is done, move it directly into the sauce pan to finish. Toss or stir to coat.
- If you decide to use a colander to drain your pasta, make sure you reserve some pasta water in case your sauce needs to be stretched at all.Plate your pasta, sprinkle with pecorino romano cheese and enjoy.
- when you plate your pasta, make sure to add some of the sauce and guanciale from the pan. Be generous with the cheese, you can’t go wrong.Buon Appetito!
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