An Italian Classic – Bucatini all’Amatriciana
If you want to make a hearty dish to impress friends or just feed the family a treat then you need look no further than this Italian classic – Bucatini all’Amatriciana. It’s the perfect Fall and Winter food with its rich, warm ragu that carries a bit of a kick. And it’s hearty with a healthy dose of guanciale (cured pig jowl) as well as a good amount of the king of all cheeses – Parmigiano Reggiano and it’s cousin from down south – Pecorino Romano.
Bucatini – The Noodle
Depending on where you live, you may or may not have seen bucatini on your market shelves. Originating in Lazio, the area around Rome, it’s basically a long, round noodle with a hole in the center. Think spaghetti that’s twice as big in the shape of a tube. It’s known as perciatelli in some circles so look for that if you can’t find anything labeled bucatini. While it’s terrific with Amatriciana sauce, it’s also well suited for preparations such as carbonara or with a nice salsa verde.
The Sauce – Amatriciana
Of course, the key to making a quality version of this dish is all in the sauce. Yes, the quality of the noodle matters but if your ragu is not on point it won’t make a difference. You’re going to want to cook this slow, low and with a lot of love to get that rich, dark, creamy brick-red sauce that’s packed with flavor. Don’t rush it and don’t be in a hurry. I’ve found that the time to make a great Amatriciana sauce is about 60 minutes from the minute the guanciale first hits the pan until you actually serve the dish. Follow the steps below to get it right every time.
A Tribute to Amatrice Through Food
If you have paid attention to the news you probably have learned about the tragic 6.2 earthquake that hit Amatrice on August 24, 2016. Not only were over 200 people killed, but the town infrastructure suffered terrible damage. Over half the town was destroyed – it is an awful tragedy.
Personally, I think the best way to honor the people of Amatrice is to pay tribute to their culture and heritage. If you want to raise awareness of their plight and the events of August 2016, make this dish for friends and give them a bit of a history lesson over dinner.
And, if you’re in a charitable mood, you can give to the Italian Red Cross to support services for victims of the earthquake.
Remarkably, several restaurants around the world have put Bucatini all’Amatriciana on the menu over the past month to raise awareness. They are also donating a percentage of proceeds to the community and people of Amatrice as written about in this recent New York Times piece.
Without further ado, here’s the recipe:
Recipe
[amd-yrecipe-recipe:2]
Show Me the Money!
It’s always easier to cook something when you can see it in pictures. So, without further ado, here’s a step by step visual guide to making a great version of Bucatini all’Amatriciana:
Step 1 – Dice your onions and guanciale
Step 2 – Render the guanciale in the olive oil until translucent. Do not turn it into ‘lardons’ and make it too crispy.
The fat that remains will be quite significant – but oh so good…
Reserve the guanciale in a bowl to add back to the onions after cooking
Step 3 – Cook the onion in the reserved fat/olive oil mix until translucent – about 4-6 minutes
Step 4 – add the guanciale back to the onions in the pan
Step 5 – Add the tomatoes to the onions and guanciale. I like Italissima products but there are many other good options out there.
Step 6 – Add the tomato paste and chili flake and then cook for 20-30 minutes over medium low heat.
Also add your ‘magic dust’ of salt, ground black pepper and cracked fennel seed
The sauce will part like the Red Sea as you run a wooden spoon through it. Then you are ready to add the cheese…
Step 7 – Add a few small handfuls of the grated parmesan and pecorino to the ragu
Once the cheese is added, the ragu will start to develop a creamier consistency.
Keep cooking until the ragu starts to thicken and deepen in color
Step 8: Cook your pasta!
Step 9: Add a knob of butter to the cooked bucatini before dressing with the ragu
Step 10: Mix, plate and serve!
If you enjoyed this recipe you can see more of Jason Price’s cooking and curing on TheHungryDogBlog.com!
Jason, I prepared this dish while visiting the family of my best friend, Abbot Jeremy Driscoll (of Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon) on O’ahu this past January. Jeremy teaches theology in Rome and know so much about “the big culinary hits” of Italy. He told me about this dish, so I ran out and was so pleased to be able to find guanciale at a local Foodland Farms market. I used San Marzanos, however. What a dish! Thank you SO much for posting this. I will be referring to your great blog for some help when I choose to cook it again. But first — Caccio e peppe!
Ciao4niao, Jacob