Of course! Found this recipe on SeriousEats.com (duh), and have made it twice now. Incredibly easy, and very, very speedy.
Pasta all’Amatriciana
Equipment
- Spider strainer or Tongs
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz cubed pancetta
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ c dry white wine
- 28 oz can whole, peeled tomatoes hand crushed
- Kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- 1 lb dried pasta
- 1 oz Pecorino Romano grated
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil until shimmering. Add pancetta and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently until pancetta is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer, seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions, cooking until just before al dente (about a minute less). Transfer the pasta to the sauce using tongs or a spider strainer. Reserve about 1/4 c of the pasta water.
- Cook pasta and sauce over high heat, tossing rapidly, until the pasta is al dente, coated in the sauce, and the sauce has thickened. (Add the reserved pasta water if sauce gets too thick.) Remove from heat, and add cheese, stirring rapidly to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
I had been looking for something new to try with pasta, and ran into this recipe that reminded MM and I of one of our trips to Italy. We’d decided to do something we’d never done before – sign up for a cooking class. We learned how to make homemade pasta in both ravioli and spaghetti form. The ravioli was ricotta and marjoram stuffed and served in a butter and sage sauce. Suuuuuper tasty. Tried to replicate that at home and added way, way too much marjoram.
The spaghetti dish was all’Amatriciana. Because we were in Italy, we were able to use the actual protein traditional to the dish: guanciale (gwan-Chah-lay). It’s cured pork jowl, which is next to impossible to find in the US. I’ve found pre-cubed pancetta in my deli, though SeriousEats is making a solid argument that next time I try this I should be tossing that over for thick cut bacon. Don’t tell MM – it should be a surprise, I think…
Also, quick note – the original recipe calls for 6 oz of pancetta, but my deli only has 4 oz packages, and since I don’t want to waste it, and I know that MM will dig it, I just toss all 8 oz in. Happy MM, happy Kegger. 🙂
I tend to get the salted pasta water started when I start the oil, just to make sure it’s boiling by the time I want to use it. I haven’t tried this with hand made pasta yet, but maybe sometime soon. I feel like it’s going to bring an extra amount of yumminess to the dish, but I haven’t been up to the process (despite how easy it is to make pasta).
There aren’t too many pictures of the prep of this dish, because IT’S SO FREAKING FAST to make. Instead, I implore you to try this dish out for yourself. Technically it’s supposed to make 4 servings, but MM and I can stretch it to 5 pretty easily. He douses his in even more Romano cheese, while I go for Parmesan…
I’m a heretic, I know.
Whatever your preference, try this out. Super easy weekday dinner that’s light but filling, and will make you feel like an accomplished Italian cook when you’re done. Yum!
