Oh pasta. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. From silky carbonara to cheesy baked rigatoni to verdant pesto tortellini to rich, creamy fettuccini Alfredo, there are too many to list. I raised my babies on pasta and they still ask for it whenever they need a food hug (their favorite is "creamy noodles with peas", which I will definitely share here the next time I make it.)
Pasta is so good it deserves a love song (That's Amore mentions Pasta e Fagioli, so I guess technically is has one, but it really needs a new one). It begs to be described the way you'd describe your soul mate. It's comforting, satisfying, and reliable. Perfect, even in it's imperfection. And so flexible. You could have a different pasta dish every day of the week for a year and not even scratch the surface of possibility. My love for pasta is genuine and unconditional, and my adoration for this exceptional pasta dish runs especially deep. If you like basic pasta with meat sauce, you're going to love pasta All'Amatriciana.
Hello, lover
This dish is named after the town of Amatrice in the Lazio region of Italy. Known for its wonderful pecorino cheese, it just makes sense that a dish from this region would be sprinkled with the good stuff. It is also typically made with bucatini, a thick, long noodle with a hole in the middle, and guanciale, which is cured pork cheek, along with lots of red onions and tomato. Even though life is slowly returning to normal-ish, I still couldn't get pecorino cheese, guanciale, or bucatini at my local market, but I really wanted to make Amatriciana so I subbed Reggiano Parmigiano, pancetta and linguini. It was still delicious, although a bit milder in flavor. No matter which way you make it, it definitely swoon-worthy.
Perfect for twirling
There are a couple of tricks to make this the very best it can be. First of all, make sure to cook your pasta in water "as salty as the sea", and only until just al dente. You'll finish cooking the pasta in sauce and don't want it too soft. Do not waste any of the beautiful fat rendered from browning the pancetta, it flavors the dish like nothing else can. The onions should be finely diced, and the garlic shaved paper thin, so they melt into the sauce. For the sauce itself, the best, easiest thing to use is good jarred tomato sauce (Rao's, trust me), but you can sub passatta or crushed San Marzano tomatoes if you want. Finally, save a little pasta cooking water to add to the sauce as you toss it with the pasta, to bring all the flavors together, and top it with some really good olive oil and lots of cheese. Serve it with some green salad and a nice bottle of Italian wine, and you'll be singing your own love song in no time.
Pasta All'Amatriciana (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
1 lb pasta (bucatini if you can, but linguini or spaghetti work too)
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 lb diced pancetta (if you can get guanciale, all the better)
1 1/2 cup diced red onion
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (can add more if you like it spicy)
2 cups jarred tomato sauce (Get Rao's if you can, it is the best)
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp olive oil
Freshly grated pecorino cheese (or Reggiano Parmigiano, if you can't get pecorino)
Method:
Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions for al dente. While pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tsp olive oil and pancetta. Cook the pancetta until golden brown and remove from the skillet. Add onion, and red pepper flakes and cook until onions are transclucent. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.
Add tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper. Raise heat to medium high and cook sauce until a bit thickened, about 5-10 minutes.
Reserve 1 cup of water when you drain the pasta. Add drained pasta to sauce (in the pan), along with 1/4 cup pasta water and 1 tbsp olive oil. Stir to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
Top with parsley, a drizzle of olive oil, and cheese. Serve with extra cheese for topping.
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