I was supposed to be eating this classic pasta dish at a trattoria in Rome in June, but since COVID derailed our travel plans, I decided to make it at home instead! This Bucatini all’Amatriciana recipe is all thanks to the amazing Chef Anthony Vitolo of Emilio’s Ballato, my favorite old school Italian spot in NYC. It’s usually available as a special at the restaurant, which reopened for outdoor dining for the first time ever as part of the Phase 2 reopening in NYC so go support by dining outdoors or ordering takeout if you can! If you’re not in the area though, try making this delicious pasta at home. Chef Anthony taught me how to make it on Instagram live, and I was so thrilled with the results that I had to adapt it into a recipe to share with all of you.
Traditional Amatriciana sauce is tomato-based, but this is no average red sauce as it gets its depth of flavor from:
- guanciale, or cured pork cheeks
- Pecorino Romano, a sheep’s milk cheese that’s like a saltier and sharper Parmigiano
- fresh ground pepper
- crushed red pepper
Chef Anthony also adds grated onion into the sauce to add some sweetness that helps balance out its saltier counterparts. If you can’t find guanciale, you can also substitute pancetta or bacon, and you’re also welcome to use Parm if you can’t find Pecorino Romano. I was lucky to find all of the ingredients at Mercato Gourmet here in Hong Kong, a stellar market that imports restaurant-quality ingredients straight from Italy to keep my Bucatini all’Amatriciana as close to the real deal as possible.
Bucatini all’Amatriciana
Ingredients
- 3 oz. guanciale, pancetta or bacon, cubed
- 1/2 onion
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
- 14 oz. can whole San Marzano or other [Italian tomatoes
- 8 oz. bucatini or other pasta
- Salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 1 oz. fresh grated Pecorino Romano, more for serving
- Extra virgin olive oil for serving
Instructions
- Add guanciale to a cold skillet and cook over medium heat to slowly render the fat. Cook until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes.
- Grate the onion right into the pan and add the crushed red pepper if using. Stir and cook until guanciale is crispy and onions have browned, another 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and use a wooden spoon to crush the tomatoes in the pan, leaving some chunks of tomato. Simmer over medium heat for ~15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt, then cook your pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Combine the cooked pasta and a splash of pasta water with the tomato sauce, adding more pasta water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
- Add several cracks of fresh ground pepper, then remove from heat and add grated Pecorino Romano and a drizzle of olive oil and stir to combine.
- Serve in warm bowls and top with more fresh grated cheese and olive oil as desired.
Notes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see the final product. Tag your stories and posts on Instagram with #IndulgentRecipes and @IndulgentEats so I can see them!
[…] to recreate another restaurant dish? Try making Bucatini all’Amatriciana just like they serve at another NYC favorite, Emilio’s […]