Pasta all’Amatriciana

I double checked the recipe with my brother-in-law Paulo, who is from Rome and takes this dish very seriously. Traditionally, there are no onions, not garlic and no chilli; and Paolo prefer using rigatoni pasta shape.

Ingredient quality is essential. Amatriciana is a tomato-based sauce cooked gently with guanciale and finished with Pecorino Romano, it is rich, savoury. San Marzano tomatoes are worth seeking out for their sweetness and low acidity. Guanciale, cured pig cheek, gives the dish its depth. Pecorino Romano provides structure and salt, bringing everything together.

Named after Amatrice, a mountain town in Lazio, Amatriciana is one of the region’s most recognised pasta dishes, alongside with Cacio&Pepe, Carbonara, Gricia and Arrabbiata, it represents the clarity and restraint of Roman cooking.

These dishes are quick to make, but they rely on attention and good ingredients.

How to cook Pasta all’Amatriciana

Serves 4

400 g bucatini
100–150 g guanciale or good quality pancetta

400 g tin San Marzano tomatoes
50 ml dry white wine
Pecorino Romano, finely grated
Black pepper

Directions
• Cook the guanciale or pancetta gently in a cold pan with no added oil, allowing the fat to render slowly.

• Add the white wine, increase the heat slightly, and let the alcohol evaporate.

• Add the tomatoes, breaking them up, then rinse the tin with a little water and add to the pan.Simmer gently for around 15 minutes until the sauce thickens.

• Cook the pasta in well salted boiling water until al dente.

• Add the pasta to the sauce, loosening with a little pasta water if needed.

• Stir through half the Pecorino Romano, then serve immediately with more cheese and black pepper.

Notes
• Do not add cooking oil. The rendered pork fat provides all the flavour needed

• Tinned tomatoes work best here, giving the sauce the body it needs

• Bucatini is traditional, but rigatoni or spaghetti work well