Friday, July 1, 2011

Pasta all'Amatriciana

Quick, Easy, Tasty.

Ingredients for 4 people, or 2 people plus 2nds, 3rds
- 500g Bucatini, or spaghetti (400g is enough, but what do you do with the remaining 100g?)
- Olive oil (Optional)
- 180g flat fat pancetta (or guanciale if you can find it)
- 2 X 400g cans of italian chopped or peeled tomatoes (preferably neopolitan)
- 100ml dry white wine (Frascati is best, but any dry white will do)
- Good quality Pecorino cheese
- Salt
- Fresh chili or chili flakes (optional)

Ok, lets get started, this will be ready in 15 minutes:

- Boil pasta in salted water until "al dente" then drain
*Add the salt to the water before the pasta so will absorb a bit of the salt while cooking*

While waiting for the water to boil & the pasta to cook:
- Using a knife, cut pancetta into pieces the size of a matchstick, (these will stick to the cooked pasta)
- Heat a large pan, add pancetta & optional chili flakes, and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes
- Add the white wine, let simmer until wine evaporates. Remove the pancetta from the pan & cover
- Pour the tomatoes into the pan with the pancetta juices and cook for 5 minutes

- Chefs Note: How to get someone to grate the pecorino for you:
   Offer one of your guests some wine, and ask them to grate the cheese while you pour it for them

When pasta is ready:
- Scoop the pancetta back into the pan, & mix in 1/2 the grated pecorino
- Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce
- sprinke with remaining pecorino & serve it from the pan at the table

Variations:
Really, this is so tasty, and so simple, so no variations, can't think of any!

Complimentary wines:
- White: Frascati, Red: Sangiovese
- Any other wine of your choice, really, any will do as long as you like it!

This is what its supposed to look like:
(Photo being developed)

2 comments:

  1. There is a variation, you can make the sauce without the wine, and keep the pancetta in the saucepan while cooking the tomato sauce. It's one of my favourite pasta's!

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