Bucatini all'Amatriciana

Ingredients

• 1 lb bucatini (or spaghetti)
• 6 oz guanciale, cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 1 can (28 oz) San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• Black pepper

Method

1. Render: Render guanciale in a cold pan over medium heat until crispy (8 min). Remove guanciale, reserve fat.

2. Add: Add pepper flakes to the fat, 30 sec. Add tomatoes. Simmer 15 min until thickened.

3. Cook: Cook bucatini. Reserve pasta water.

4. Add: Add pasta to sauce with a splash of pasta water. Toss. Return guanciale.

5. Step: Off heat, add Pecorino in handfuls, tossing. Season with black pepper.

What You're Practicing

• Amatriciana is carbonara's tomato-based cousin — same guanciale and Pecorino, plus tomato.
• Rendering guanciale from a cold pan gives you crispy meat and clear, flavorful fat.
• Bucatini (thick hollow spaghetti) is traditional — the sauce gets inside the tubes.