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    Bucatini all'Amatriciana Recipe

    February 9, 2022 by G. Stephen Jones 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Bucatini all'Amatriciana Recipe

    A Classic Roman Dish - Bucatini all'Amatriciana

    Like many of you, Meg and I watched the Stanley Tucci special on CNN called Searching for Italy. In the Rome episode, he has lunch at Armando Al Pantheon to enjoy their famous rigatoni all'amatriciana, one of Rome's famous pastas. I made it a little different and call it bucatini all'Amatriciana.

    Of course I had to run out and buy the ingredients so we could make it at home. Not a lot of ingredients and very simple to prepare and absolutely delicious. Let's look at some of the ingredients.

    Bucatini

    Bucatini is a pasta that looks a lot like spaghetti but it is thicker and has a whole running down through the strand. My kids like to say it looks like a straw made out of pasta. 

    If you lived in Naples, Italy, you would call this pasta perciatelli. Same pasta, just called something different in a different part of Italy.

    For years you could only find bucatini pasta in speciality markets or Italian grocers, but now I'm finding it in my local supermarkets. I guess it is becoming more popular and is being used in more Internet recipes.

    The Italian word for hole is "buco" so this is where this pasta gets its name.  If you can't find bucatini, try substituting spaghetti or linguini.

    Guanciale

    Guanciale pronounced (gyaan chaa lay), is a cured meat from a pig's cheeks. Not easy to find in most supermarkets, you may have to head to a specialty food market or a good Italian grocer. A good substitute is pancetta, another cured meat from a pig but from the belly. And if you can't find any pancetta, I suppose I would give prosciutto a try.

    Pecorino Romano Cheese

    One of my favorite Italian cheeses pecorino Romano. My favorite brand is Locatelli. It's been around for over 200 years. I love substituting pecorino for parmesan cheese and often find myself eating a small piece for dessert if there is any extra. 

    It is a little saltier than parmesan and has a sharp, acidic taste. It is an aged sheep's milk cheese. 

    Bucatini All'Amatriciana ingredients

    Bucatini all'Amatriciana Ingredients

    Locatelli Pecorino Romano for bucatini all'amatriciana

    Locatelli Pecorino Romano

    Diced Guancial

    Dice the guanciale

    Saute Guancial

    Saute the guancial

    Guancial and Onion

    Add the onion and saute

    Guancial Onion and tomato Paste

    Add the tomato paste

    all'Amatriciana Sauce

    Add the diced tomatoes

    Bucatini Pasta Cooking in a Pot of Water

    Cooking the bucatini pasta

    Bucatini all'Amatriciana finished

    Combine the pasta to the sauce

    Bucatini all'Amatriciana Recipe
    Print Recipe

    Bucatini all'Amatriciana

    A classic Roman pasta dish.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time25 mins
    Total Time35 mins
    Course: Main Course, Pasta
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: pasta sauce
    Servings: 6 people

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound bucatini pasta
    • 1 cup guanciale diced
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 cup yellow onion minced
    • 2 tablespoons garlic minced
    • hot pepper flakes to taste
    • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
    • ¼ teaspoon oregano dried
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • pecorino romano cheese freshly grated
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • To a large pot of water, add salt and bring to a boil over high heat.
    • Add bucatini pasta and cook according to package direction until al dente.
    • Heat a large fry pan over medium heat. When hot, add olive oil and then diced guanciale. Saute for 4 minutes until the guanciale's fat renders out. The guanciale will start to turn golden and become crisp. Stir frequently.
    • Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes.
    • Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
    • Add tomato paste, stir and cook for 1 minute.
    • Add diced tomatoes and oregano. Lower heat to a simmer and cook sauce for 10 minutes.
    • Add hot pepper flakes to taste.
    • Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
    • Drain pasta reserving ¼ cup of the pasta water.
    • Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine. If the sauce seems dry, add some of the pasta water.
    • Plate the pasta and sauce in bowls and finish with a topping of freshly grated pecorino cheese.
    • Serve immediately.

     

     

     

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    I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me... Read More…

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Hazel

      February 19, 2022 at 3:00 am

      I'm on a "diet program", really a better lifestyle change. But I'm cutting calories, & salt.

      Any idea about the nutrition values for this (wonderful) meal?

      Thanks, I'm enjoying your website after just finding it.

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        March 10, 2022 at 5:30 pm

        Hi Hazel, thanks for contacting me. I'm trying to cut calories and salt myself but I do splurge sometimes. I don't have the nutrition values for this dish but I'm guessing it's rich. You may be able to find a site online that you can plug in the ingredients and it will give you the nutritional breakdown. Best.

        Reply

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