Bucatini all'Amatriciana
Amatrice, by way of Rome: guanciale and chili rendered hard, tomatoes added, tossed with bucatini and a hard rain of Pecorino. No onion.
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total
- 35 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- easy
Amatriciana started in Amatrice and was adopted and perfected in Rome. The sauce is built entirely on guanciale, rendered until the fat runs and the edges crisp, with chili flakes and tomato added after. Pecorino Romano goes on at the end, never cooked into the sauce, or it turns stringy.
No onion and no garlic in the strict version; the guanciale and chili carry the whole flavor. Bucatini, the hollow tube pasta, is the traditional shape, holding sauce inside and out.
Amatriciana is one of the twenty most famous Italian foods.
method
Render the guanciale in a dry pan over low-medium heat until the fat runs and the edges crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the chili flakes and, if using, the wine, and let it bubble off for a minute.
Add the crushed tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Simmer gently for 15 minutes until thickened.
Cook the bucatini in salted water until al dente. Reserve some pasta water, then drain.
Toss the pasta into the sauce off the heat, adding a splash of pasta water if it needs loosening.
Plate and shower with Pecorino. Serve immediately.
chef's tips
- No onion, no garlic in the Amatrice original: the guanciale and chili are the whole flavor base.
- Add the Pecorino off the heat, tossed through at the table if you can; cooked-in cheese turns gluey.
- Guanciale renders differently from pancetta, slower and with more fat; give it the full 6 to 8 minutes.