One of the earliest and most famous tomato sauces in Italy, all’amatriciana has a rich history with humble roots in the small town of Amatrice. With only a handful of ingredients, this sauce comes together quickly and is tossed with pasta for a delicious meal without a long cook time. While there are several variations, the base has remained the same since the late 1700s.
Begin by slicing 4oz of guanciale into small strips or cubes and grating ⅔ cup Pecorino Romano. In a bowl, crush the 14oz can of peeled tomatoes by hand or with a fork and set aside.
Add the guanciale to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and turned translucent. If using a fresh or dried chili, slice it in half and add it to the pan when you add the guanciale. Pour in the ¼ cup of white wine, if using, and turn the heat up to medium high until it has mostly evaporated. If using crushed red pepper instead, add it when you add the wine.
While the wine is cooking out, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Once the wine has mostly evaporated, add the crushed tomatoes to the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste and stir occasionally while cooking. When the pot of water is almost to a boil, salt the water generously and add your pasta when it comes to a boil. Cook your pasta according to directions for about 1 minute short of al dente.
When the pasta is ready, use tongs or a pasta spoon to transfer the pasta into the pan with the sauce. Getting some of the starchy water in the sauce with the pasta is fine, and preferable. Add the grated cheese to the pasta, turn off the heat, and quickly mix and toss the pasta with the cheese and sauce until everything emulsifies together.
Plate the pasta and top with some more Pecorino Romano and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Notes
1) Guanciale – Depending on where you live, it may be difficult to find this product. There are several online retailers that will ship it though, and if you can source it, it’s worth trying out. If you can’t find it, I would recommend pancetta as the best alternative, which is more widely available at many grocery stores. If pancetta is still difficult to find or seems too expensive, bacon can be used instead. Be sure to use a decent quality bacon though and look for the thickest butcher cut you can find, do not use thin bacon.2) Pecorino Romano – When using pecorino in sauce recipes, the trick is to grate the cheese. Buy whole wedges and, using a box grater or something similar, grate the cheese, do not shred it. Grating the cheese allows it to melt more easily and smoothly when tossed with pasta, whereas shredding the cheese can leave a stringy texture that doesn’t fully emulsify properly.If you’re not a fan of pecorino, Parmigiano Reggiano is a good substitute. The cheese is similar in texture and isn’t as salty. Both cheeses can be found in grocery stores where they sell imported cheeses, not the dairy section with sliced and shredded cheeses.3) Red Pepper – Some form of chili pepper is optional, but common in most recipes. Amatriciana isn’t a spicy sauce but can sometimes have a bit of a bite to it. A fresh or dried chili is typically added to the pan with the guanciale, and then removed before serving. I don’t find it adds a lot to the flavor, so I like to use a little bit of crushed red pepper that carries through the sauce more. Any 3 of these options are fine though.4) Tomatoes – There’s several options with this ingredient. You could use fresh tomatoes, canned, peeled San Marzano tomatoes, crushed tomato, tomato sauce, or tomato paste. My preference, and typically the most used option, is a can of peeled San Marzano tomatoes. Finding that specific type fresh is difficult, but canned versions are in every grocery store.Crushing the peeled tomatoes by hand or with a fork keeps the recipe rustic as well, and lets you control how smooth or chunky a sauce you want. A 14oz can is all you need, but if you prefer a “soupier” tomato sauce, go for the 28oz can.