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Home » Italian Recipes » Cooking Italy – Pasta all’ Amatriciana, Not Just Another Dish of Spaghetti

Cooking Italy – Pasta all’ Amatriciana, Not Just Another Dish of Spaghetti

November 5, 2009 by Angela Roberts 7 Comments

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Amatriciana, Bucatini Spaghetti from Spinach Tiger
Today we are going to Rome. Technically, this sauce originated in the town of Amatrice, but I say “we’re going to Rome, because Bucatini All’ Amatriciana is served everywhere in Rome.

When I ate my first fork full sitting at one of those charming outdoor restaurants in Rome, I was ready to just eat a dish of pasta (the way you eat a grilled cheese), but I remember stopping and saying, “whoa, what’s in this? It looks so very ordinary, and the way I think, I’m already eating tomorrow’s bowl when I haven’t finished todays. I came home and I made it several days in a row with fresh tomatoes and then I forgot about it, because summer was over and I thought this dish HAD to be made with fresh tomatoes. I was so positive that every plate of pasta all’ Amatriciana was made with fresh tomatoes, but now I’m not so sure.

I’m going to ask you to trust me that this is a spectacular sauce. It looks like just another dish of spaghetti. In fact, It looks like that 80’s hit, spaghetti pomodoro, that I don’t much care for as it usually reeks of garlic.

As I followed the instructions to chop canned Italian tomatoes, and drain the juice, I thought I might be disappointed. How wrong I was. There simply are no disappointments when cooking a Marcella recipe. The combination of butter, onion, and tomato is very sweet, made sultry with pancetta, and cut just right with hot pepper.

Retro Rose thought I used FRESH tomatoes. I fooled her.

There were three of us for dinner. Two of us were not very hungry. One whole pound of pasta completely disappeared, and that never happens. We are Italians. We eat good food every day. But, we were jumping up and down (almost) remarking over and over again that this is so good. Retro Rose already took home some of my pancetta and the recipe so she can make it.

So trust me, when Retro Rose gets excited about pasta, it’s a big deal, because she has never counted carbs in her life, and she eats pasta several times a week.

So if you don’t trust me, trust her. She’s been eating pasta for 74 years.

 I googled this sauce to see how others might be preparing this dish. I saw a lot of mistakes. 

I saw garlic.
Please, please do not use garlic in this. It will rob you of sweet onion taste.

I saw olive oil.
I’m not as picky on this, but if you do use olive, also use butter. Even though by the end of the dish you don’t really see butter and onions, you will taste them. They make the dish.

I saw bacon instead of pancetta.
While I can see that pancetta might be more difficult for some to purchase, it delivers a completely different taste than bacon. You can purchase just a small piece for this recipe at deli counters that sell Boars Head, if you don’t have access to an Italian market. Our local Whole Foods actually sells pancetta made here by a local farmer.

I saw canned tomatoes and fresh tomatoes. Good canned tomatoes are better than bad fresh tomatoes.

The Pasta
Bucatini, a thick, hollow spaghetti is the traditional pasta used in this dish. It’s the perfect pasta to cook al dente, and add a thick, dicey sauce must especially blanket a pasta with a bite to it. I have never once experienced a true al dente pasta in an Italian restaurant in America. But, that is all you get in Italy, and it’s so much more al dente than you might think. Keep in mind that pasta continues to cook once you strain it. If you think your “al dente”needs another minute, it’s done.

Normally, I have at least 2 pounds on hand, but just when I need it, my Italian market is out of it until late November. I use De Cecco kamut spaghetti. I love this pasta, find it meaty and, while it is NOT gluten free, it’s a great choice for those with wheat sensitivity.

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Cooking Italy - Pasta all’ Amatriciana, Not Just Another Dish of Spaghetti

I had Pasta all'Amatriciana in Rome, and this recipe is just as good.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time40 mins
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4
Author: Angela Roberts

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/4 ”slice pancetta cut into 1”strips (1/2”wide)
  • 1 1/2 cups Italian tomatoes diced,drained of juice
  • 1/2 small dried hot chili pepper or 1 t chile pepper flakes or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or taste
  • 1 pound pasta
  • 1 tablespoon Pecorino cheese freshly grated
  • 3 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano freshly grated

Instructions

  • Saute onion in oil and butter on medium until it's pale softened, almost golden. Add pancetta, cooking for about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add tomatoes, chili pepper, salt and simmer for 25 minutes. Taste and correct for salt and pepper.
  • Toss pasta with sauce then add both cheeses.

Please follow me on instagram. If you make this recipe,  please tag me #spinachtiger.

If you love this recipe, please give it five stars. It means a lot. xoxo

Recipe for filling adapted from Marcella Hazan’sEssentials of Classical Cooking

 



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Filed Under: Italian Recipes, Marcella Hazan Recipes, Pasta Recipes Tagged With: bucatini, Italian tomatoes, pancetta, Parmigiano Reggiano, pecorino

« Chicken and Sausage with Muscadine Grapes
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Please follow me on instagram. If you make this recipe,  please tag me #spinachtiger.

If you love this recipe, please give it five stars. It means a lot. xoxo

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Trackbacks

  1. Seven Tips on How to Cook Spaghetti Carbonara with Bacon and Bread Crumbs says:
    October 19, 2015 at 9:29 am

    […] that has personality like Benton’s Bacon).  One of the more famous pasta dishes in Rome is  Pasta all’Amatriciana, which calls for tomatoes with pancetta and is ever so easy to make. Bolognese has pancetta, a long […]

    Reply
  2. Cooking Italy: Spicy Shrimp and Ten Tips for Eating Healthy Italian says:
    November 16, 2014 at 5:51 pm

    […] Go easy with cream sauces. Tomato-based sauces can be made in twenty minutes and have tons of nutrition and are much lower in calories. Try this Pasta All’ Amatriciana […]

    Reply
  3. Secret Recipe Club December says:
    December 8, 2013 at 11:00 pm

    […] Italy. That makes the most sense to me, as the onion and short cooking time reminds me of another famous Italian red sauce that Rome takes credit […]

    Reply
  4. A Year of Cooking Italy with Marcella Hazan says:
    October 29, 2013 at 8:33 pm

    […] personal Favorite: Pasta all’Amatriciana. Don’t let the simplicity of this dish fool you.  The  pancetta and heat from cracked red […]

    Reply
  5. Pasta all’ Amatriciana | Maria Paray Jewelry says:
    May 6, 2012 at 12:43 pm

    […] Vegetable oil (I used olive), butter and a finely chopped onion are sauteed until the onion turns gold.  Small strips of pancetta are added and cooked for about a minute.  Canned plum tomatoes are cut up, drained and also added.  Salt and chopped hot red chili pepper round out the flavors and the sauce  is cooked at a gentle simmer for 25 minutes.  I think I may have overcooked a bit, as the oil and tomatoes separated – but it was all good and very delicious.  The cooked sauce is mixed with the pasta and both parmigiano and romano cheeses are added.  For the recipe adaptation, see our Cooking Italy Founder Angela’s Spinach Tiger blog. […]

    Reply
  6. Pasta all’ Amatriciana | ***** REBUILD *** MARIAPARAY.COM ****** says:
    May 2, 2012 at 4:02 pm

    […] Vegetable oil (I used olive), butter and a finely chopped onion are sauteed until the onion turns gold.  Small strips of pancetta are added and cooked for about a minute.  Canned plum tomatoes are cut up, drained and also added.  Salt and chopped hot red chili pepper round out the flavors and the sauce  is cooked at a gentle simmer for 25 minutes.  I think I may have overcooked a bit, as the oil and tomatoes separated – but it was all good and very delicious.  The cooked sauce is mixed with the pasta and both parmigiano and romano cheeses are added.  For the recipe adaptation, see our Cooking Italy Founder Angela’s Spinach Tiger blog. […]

    Reply
  7. Pasta all’ Amatriciana | mariaparay.com says:
    December 7, 2011 at 12:11 am

    […] Vegetable oil (I used olive), butter and a finely chopped onion are sauteed until the onion turns gold.  Small strips of pancetta are added and cooked for about a minute.  Canned plum tomatoes are cut up, drained and also added.  Salt and chopped hot red chili pepper round out the flavors and the sauce  is cooked at a gentle simmer for 25 minutes.  I think I may have overcooked a bit, as the oil and tomatoes separated – but it was all good and very delicious.  The cooked sauce is mixed with the pasta and both parmigiano and romano cheeses are added.  For the recipe adaptation, see our Cooking Italy Founder Angela’s Spinach Tiger blog. […]

    Reply

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