Amatriciana is one of our favourite pasta dishes at La Mano. We've featured this recipe last year with Chef Kayle Burns from UNA, and we're sharing our recipe with you! This is a tomato based sauce that typically uses a salty cured pork such as Guanciale, Pancetta, or Boar Bacon. We love Guanciale for the fat content – the most important part when making a base for the sauce. Feel free to spice this up as much as you like, we keep our recipe on the mild side because you can always turn up the heat!
Ingredients
300ml Whole San Marzano Tomatoes
60g Guanciale
4 Cloves Garlic
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Chili Flakes
50g Pecorino Romano Cheese
Method
Start by heating a pan over medium heat with a small amount of canola oil. Add Guanciale that has been sliced into approximately 5mm cubes. Allow the fat to render out of the meat until your cubes are crisp, lower the heat if necessary to keep from smoking.
Remove the Guanciale pieces and set aside, keeping the fat and oils in the pan. Now add chopped garlic and chili flakes to the rendered fat and allow to cook for a few seconds before adding your whole canned tomatoes. Allow the tomatoes to simmer and break down, season lightly with salt to taste and remember – Guanciale and Pecorino Romano are also salty so be careful not to over season. Adjust your spice level and allow the tomatoes to reduce for 2-3 minutes.
Next - cook your fresh Bucatini pasta in salted boiling water. This should take 2-3 minutes, then add to your sauce pan. Give your pasta a toss and add half of your Pecorino Romano allowing to mix in with the pasta and sauce. Plate your Bucatini in a bowl and garnish the Guanciale that you set aside earlier. Finish with the rest of your Pecorino Romano and a little cracked black pepper. Enjoy!