Food

Pasta all'Amatriciana

Guanciale, Pecorino, San Marzano — Rome's holy trinity of the first course

Prep 10 min

Cook 30 min

Servings 4

Amatriciana comes from Amatrice, a small town in the Apennine mountains some 150 kilometres northeast of Rome, at an altitude where the winters are long and the cured pork is exceptional. It is one of four classical Roman pastas — alongside carbonara, cacio e pepe and gricia — each built from a small number of ingredients, each with decades of argument attached to it. The argument around Amatriciana concerns the onion. The original Amatrice version, predating the dish's adoption by Rome, contained no tomato at all — just guanciale and Pecorino, which is the ancestor dish called gricia. When tomatoes arrived, they were added in Rome, and so was onion. The Amatrice civic authorities have stated officially and at some length that onion is not authentic. The Romans remain untroubled by this. On balance, the without-onion version is cleaner and more elegant; we have sided with Amatrice. What is not in dispute: guanciale. This is cured pork cheek, saltier and more unctuous than pancetta, with a fat that renders to something almost translucent and silky rather than chewy. It is available at Italian delis and increasingly at good butchers. Pancetta will produce an edible version of this dish, but not this dish. The difference is worth the effort of finding it. Rigatoni is the traditional Roman choice. Bucatini — thick, hollow spaghetti — is the other acceptable form. The sauce needs a pasta with some structural presence to hold the weight of guanciale and tomato.

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Servings: 4

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Ingredients

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400 g rigatoni or bucatini
200 g guanciale, sliced 5mm thick and cut into lardons
400 g San Marzano tomatoes (1 tin), hand-crushed
80 g Pecorino Romano, freshly and finely grated, divided
100 ml dry white wine
1 dried red chilli, crumbled (or ½ tsp chilli flakes)
Coarsely ground black pepper
Fine sea salt for pasta water

Instructions

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Render the guanciale

Place the guanciale lardons in a cold, dry skillet — no oil. Set over medium-low heat. The fat will begin to render slowly as the pan warms. Cook for 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally, until the fat is translucent and the meat edges are golden and slightly crisp. Remove the guanciale with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving all the rendered fat in the pan.

Do not rush this step with higher heat. Slow rendering gives a gentler fat with better flavour.

Bloom the chilli

With the rendered fat still in the pan over medium heat, add the crumbled chilli. Cook for 30–45 seconds until fragrant.

Deglaze and reduce

Add the white wine to the pan. It will sizzle dramatically. Stir, scraping up any caramelised bits. Let it reduce for 2–3 minutes until the sharp alcohol smell has gone.

Build the tomato sauce

Add the hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes to the pan. Season with a small pinch of salt — the guanciale and Pecorino are both salty, so taste before adding more. Simmer on medium heat for 15–18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced and thickened and the oil is beginning to separate slightly at the edges. Return the guanciale to the sauce for the last 5 minutes.

Cook the pasta

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the rigatoni or bucatini 2 minutes before the package's al dente time. Reserve 200ml of pasta cooking water before draining.

Combine

Add the drained pasta directly to the tomato sauce. Toss over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, adding pasta water in small splashes to achieve a glossy, saucy consistency that coats the pasta without pooling. Remove from heat.

Finish with Pecorino

Off heat, add two-thirds of the grated Pecorino and toss rapidly. Divide between warm bowls. Finish each portion with the remaining Pecorino and a generous amount of coarsely ground black pepper.

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