Buttery pasta all’amatriciana
"The classic Roman dish—pasta all'amatriciana—is said to only call for guanciale (cured pork jowl), tomatoes, pecorino, and black pepper or some fiery chilli. It is a great dish—but this is how I tend to make it at home, with shallots and garlic because I can't live without them, cured, layered pancetta cut from the block, and with butter because, as Marcella Hazan knew, it makes a tomato sauce into something that much silkier. If you can find bucatini, this makes for one slurp-able dish!"
Difficulty
Easy 👌Ingredients
Utensils
cutting board, knife, box grater, frying pan, cooking spoon, pot (large), colander
How-To Videos
How to prepare a chili
How to prepare garlic
How to chop herbs
How to cook pasta
Nutrition per serving
Step 1/3
- 40 g pancetta
- ½ chili
- 2 shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 40 g Pecorino cheese
- 7½ g parsley
- cutting board
- knife
- box grater
Slice pancetta into 0.5 cm/0.25 in. wide strips, approx. 2-cm/0.75 in. long. Finely slice chili. Slice shallots into thin rings and mince garlic. Grate pecorino cheese. Finely chop parsley.
Step 2/3
- 400 g canned diced tomatoes
- 200 g rigatoni
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- frying pan
- cooking spoon
- pot (large)
- colander
Add pancetta to a frying pan with some olive oil and let cook until the fat is clear and very soft, approx. 5 min. Add onions, garlic, and chili and continue cooking on medium heat until soft. Season generously with pepper. Add canned tomatoes and simmer on medium for approx. 10 min. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and reserve some pasta water for the sauce.
Step 3/3
- 40 g unsalted butter
Stir in butter and half the pecorino, until dissolved. Add pasta and some pasta water, and toss to combine well. Serve pasta in a large bowl with a generous drizzle of olive oil and garnish with remaining cheese and parsley. Mix well before serving. Enjoy!
