Chef Graziella
Abbacchio a Scottadito
Roman lamb chops grilled over scorching heat, seasoned with nothing but salt, rosemary, and fire. You eat them with your hands, straight from the grill, burning your fingers because you cannot wait.
Culinary Explorer
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Bucatini all'Amatriciana
Created by
The true sauce of Amatrice: guanciale rendered to gold, tomatoes barely simmered, pecorino melted into silk. Three ingredients that tolerate no substitution and no addition.
Main Dishes
Italian, Roman
Weeknight
Comfort Food
15 min
Active Time
25 min cook•40 min total
Yield4 servings
There is no garlic in Amatriciana. There is no onion. I will say this once, clearly, so there is no confusion. The sauce contains guanciale, tomato, pecorino, chili, and black pepper. That is all. What you keep out is as significant as what you put in.
Americans add garlic to everything. They add onion because they cannot imagine a sauce without it. They use bacon because guanciale is difficult to find. They use Parmesan because pecorino seems too sharp. By the time they finish making substitutions, they have created something else entirely. Something that is not Amatriciana.
The guanciale is the soul of this dish. It is cured pork jowl, fattier and more flavorful than pancetta, impossible to replace with bacon. The fat renders into the sauce, turning the tomatoes into something silky and rich. The meat crisps at the edges but stays slightly chewy at the center. If you cannot find guanciale, make a different pasta. Do not pretend.
Amatriciana began as gricia, the older sauce of guanciale, pecorino, and black pepper that shepherds carried into the mountains above Amatrice. When tomatoes arrived in central Italy in the 18th century, cooks added them to gricia and created something new. The 2016 earthquake that devastated Amatrice brought renewed attention to the dish, with restaurants worldwide cooking it to raise funds for rebuilding.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
bucatini
Quantity
1 pound
guanciale
Quantity
8 ounces
cut into strips about 1/4 inch thick
San Marzano tomatoes
Quantity
1 can (28 ounces)
crushed by hand
dry white wine
Quantity
1/2 cup
dried peperoncino
Quantity
1 small, crumbled, or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Pecorino Romano
Quantity
1 cup
finely grated, plus more for serving
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
kosher salt
Quantity
for pasta water
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| bucatini | 1 pound |
| guancialecut into strips about 1/4 inch thick | 8 ounces |
| San Marzano tomatoescrushed by hand | 1 can (28 ounces) |
| dry white wine | 1/2 cup |
| dried peperoncino | 1 small, crumbled, or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes |
| Pecorino Romanofinely grated, plus more for serving | 1 cup |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| kosher salt | for pasta water |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide 12-inch skillet or sauté pan
- •Large pot for pasta
- •Tongs for tossing
Instructions
- 1
Render the guanciale
Place the guanciale strips in a cold, wide skillet. Set it over medium-low heat. Let the fat render slowly, without rushing. The guanciale should turn translucent, then begin to crisp at the edges, releasing its fat into a pool of golden liquid. This takes 10 to 12 minutes. Do not raise the heat. Patience here determines everything that follows.
Starting in a cold pan allows the fat to render before the meat browns. Hot pan, burnt exterior, raw interior. You cannot fix this. - 2
Add the chili and wine
When the guanciale is golden and crisp but still has some chew at the center, add the crumbled peperoncino. Stir for 30 seconds. The chili should bloom in the hot fat. Pour in the wine. It will sizzle violently. Let it reduce until nearly evaporated, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. The alcohol smell must disappear completely.
- 3
Build the sauce
Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices. Stir well. Let the sauce simmer gently, uncovered, while you cook the pasta. It should reduce slightly and the fat should begin to separate and pool on the surface in orange rivulets. This is correct. Do not cover the pan. Never cook a sauce in a covered pan.
Crush the tomatoes by hand over the pan, letting the juices fall in. Your hands know when a tomato is properly broken. A food processor creates foam. - 4
Cook the bucatini
Bring abundant water to a vigorous boil. Salt it generously. Add the bucatini, stirring immediately to prevent sticking. The hollow strands like to cling together. Cook until the pasta is tender but maintains resistance at the core. Bucatini takes longer than spaghetti, usually 10 to 12 minutes. Taste it. Only your teeth can tell you when it is ready. Reserve one cup of pasta water before draining.
- 5
Marry pasta and sauce
Drain the bucatini and add it directly to the skillet with the sauce. Toss vigorously over medium heat for one minute, letting the pasta absorb the sauce. Remove from heat. Add the grated pecorino in three additions, tossing constantly between each. Add splashes of pasta water as needed to create a creamy coating that clings to each strand. The cheese must emulsify into the sauce, not clump.
Off the heat for the cheese. Too much heat and the pecorino seizes into stringy clumps. The residual warmth and pasta water create the emulsion. - 6
Serve immediately
Grind black pepper generously over the pasta. Taste for salt, remembering that pecorino and guanciale both contribute salinity. Divide among warm bowls. Pass additional pecorino at the table. Once the pasta is sauced, serve it promptly, inviting your guests and family to put off talking and start eating. Amatriciana waits for no one.
Chef Tips
- •Guanciale is not optional. It is the dish. Look for it at Italian specialty shops or order it online. The fat-to-meat ratio should favor fat. This is where the sauce gets its richness.
- •Pecorino Romano is sharper and saltier than Parmigiano-Reggiano. It belongs here. The two cheeses are not interchangeable despite what American recipes suggest.
- •The wine is traditional in Roman preparations, though some cooks from Amatrice itself omit it. Both versions are correct. The wine adds brightness that balances the richness of the pork fat.
- •Cut the guanciale into strips, not cubes. The strips crisp better and distribute more evenly through the pasta. Cubes hide in pockets and create uneven bites.
Advance Preparation
- •The sauce can be made up to 30 minutes ahead and kept warm. The guanciale will soften slightly but remains acceptable.
- •Do not attempt to make this fully in advance. Amatriciana is a quick sauce meant to be eaten immediately. The bucatini absorbs liquid as it sits and becomes gummy.
- •You can slice the guanciale several hours ahead and refrigerate it. Bring to room temperature before cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 350g)
Calories
860 calories
Total Fat
31 g
Saturated Fat
13 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
65 mg
Sodium
1850 mg
Total Carbohydrates
97 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
8 g
Protein
29 g
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