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Spaghetti all'Amatriciana Italian pasta ready to eat in the braising pan

Spaghetti all’Amatriciana (Spicy Tomato Pasta Sauce w/Cured Pork & Pecorino Romano)


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  • Author: Kelly
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x

Description

Fresh sweet tomatoes, pancetta (or guanciale), Pecorino Romano cheese, white wine, extra virgin olive oil, and a dash of red pepper give this favorite Italian pasta all its deliciousness. This is a house favorite pasta that we eat all year round and it’s super quick to make. This recipe makes enough for 2 people but you can easily double, triple, or quadruple the sauce to feed a crowd, or to portion and freeze for quick weeknight meals or busy weekends. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 ounces spaghetti or bucatini pasta noodles (160g)
  • 10 ounces grape tomatoes, peeled and crushed (about 15 tomatoes) (2l0g)
  • 3 ounces guanciale (cured pork jowl) or pancetta affumicata, cut into strips (85g)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, grated (or just enough to sprinkle on your pasta when serving) (25-50g)
  • 1 to 2 dried chili peppers (or more to taste)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (30-45g)
  • 2 tablespoons dry white wine (25g)
  • 2 tablespoons onion or shallot, finely diced (20g) (optional)
  • Salt to taste


Instructions

  1. Cook the pancetta + onions. Add the olive oil and the chili peppers to a medium-sized sauté pan and cook over medium heat for about one minute, and add the pancetta (or guanciale). Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes or until much of the fat is rendered from the pancetta. Add the shallots and continue sautéing until the pancetta is golden brown and some bits are crispy, but not all of it.
  2. Blanch the tomatoes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the tomatoes for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the skins start to break. Remove the tomatoes and allow them to cool slightly before removing the skins and setting them aside. When cool enough to handle, crush the peeled tomatoes so they can quickly be added to the sauce in the next step. Do not discard the salted water because you’ll use it to cook the pasta.
  3. Deglaze the pork mixture with wine. Once the pancetta (or guanciale) and onions have cooked through and browned just a bit, add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Turn the skillet up to high heat and allow the wine to evaporate while stirring constantly and scraping the browned bits (the fond) off of the bottom of the pan.
  4. Add the tomatoes. Add the crushed tomatoes and add salt to taste.  If the tomatoes aren’t sweet, add a very small pinch of sugar. Reduce the sauce to a simmer and cook on low stirring occasionally as it reduces slightly. *You may substitute an equal amount of canned whole peeled tomatoes if you don’t have sweet fresh tomatoes. 
  5. Cook the pasta. Add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook according to packaged directions, or until al dente.
  6. Add starchy pasta cooking water to the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, continue simmering the pasta sauce over low heat. About 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked through, add approximately 1/4 to 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water to the tomato sauce, increase the heat to medium and sauté for a couple of minutes more until the sauce is glossy.
  7. Assemble the pasta. Once the pasta is cooked through, strain it and add the noodles directly to the sauce, quickly toss and turn the noodles to coat them fully. Remove from heat and serve immediately with a side of pecorino cheese to be tossed over the top of the pasta. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Use equal amounts of canned whole tomatoes if you can’t find sweet grape tomatoes.
  • In the recipe photos, you’ll notice that I tossed the grated Pecorino on top of the entire dish of just-cooked pasta before tossing it with tongs and serving. But I actually prefer to serve the cheese on the side at the table to allow everyone to add as much or as little cheese as they like.
  • Don’t forget to add a little pasta cooking water to the sauce so that the starches will help bind the final sauce to the noodles. This is also why it’s important not to over-salt the pasta boiling water, but instead, have it lightly salted.
  • Do not use sparkling wine, sweet wine, or semi-sweet white wine in this recipe. Use a white wine that’s drinkable and light. If you’re not a white wine drinker and don’t like the idea of having a bottle of wine lying around that you won’t drink afterward, either substitute a dry red wine or pour the white wine into an ice cube tray and freeze it use it for future recipes as needed.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/2
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