Pasta Allamatriciana Cooks Illustrated Recipes

SPAGHETTI ALL'AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Meanwhile, unroll the pancetta. Cut it into 1-inch long chunks, and then slice each chunk thinly across the grain.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over moderately low heat. Add the pancetta and cook until it renders some of its fat, about 5 minutes. Do not allow it to crisp. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. While the onion is cooking, add the pasta to the boiling water.
• Add the red pepper flakes and parsley to the onion mixture and cook briefly to release their fragrance. Add the vinegar and simmer briefly until it evaporates, then add the tomato puree and 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Simmer briefly to blend.
• When the pasta is just shy of al dente, drain it and return it to the warm pot over moderate heat. Add the sauce and cook briefly so the pasta absorbs some of the sauce, then transfer the pasta to a warmed serving bowl and shower with the pecorino. Serve immediately.

PASTA AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• Make sure to have a pot of boiling salted water for pasta going before starting this dish. You will not cook the pasta all the way as you will finish it in the pan with the sauce.
• Drop the pasta into the boiling water to start the cooking process.
• Meanwhile, in a saute pan heat some oil over high heat and add the pancetta. Saute until the pancetta is rendered (most of the fat melts away), and then turn the heat down to medium. Pancetta should look like crispy bacon. Add the onions and stir constantly making sure the onions do not burn. Once the onions are soft and cooked through, add the red sauce. Cook for 1 minute, and then add the cheese and pepper flakes, stirring to incorporate.
• Turn off the heat on the sauce and add the cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce. Turn the heat back on to low and toss the pasta constantly so that the sauce will stick to the pasta (the sauce should be thick and shouldn't create a pool on the plate). Transfer the pasta and sauce to a bowl and sprinkle more cheese on top to serve.

PASTA ALL'AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• Purée tomatoes with juices in a blender; set aside. Cook onion, guanciale, pancetta, oil, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 cup water in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until water is evaporated and fat begins to render, 8-10 minutes.
• Add tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring often, until reduced by half, 5-8 minutes.
• Add reserved tomato purée and bring to a boil. Cover pan partially with a lid, reduce heat, and simmer until meat is tender and flavors are melded, 40-45 minutes. Add sugar, if using; season with salt and pepper.
• When sauce is almost done, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain pasta.
• Add pasta to sauce and toss to coat. Serve topped with Pecorino.
• DO AHEAD: Sauce can be made 4 days ahead. Let cool, then chill until cold. Cover and keep chilled.

TRADITIONAL SPAGHETTI ALL'AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook onion until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in passata, water, and sugar; cook until sauce has thickened, 10 to 15 minutes
• Drain spaghetti and toss with sauce, remaining olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper.

AMATRICIANA PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• While waiting for the water to boil, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the guanciale and cook slowly, stirring occasionally and letting the fat render, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove the guanciale with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate, leaving the fat in the skillet. Add the dried herbs to the skillet and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the can of tomatoes, smash the whole tomatoes with a wooden spoon, and increase the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, while you boil the pasta.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook 2 minutes less than the package directions. Using tongs, transfer the pasta to the sauce. (Don't worry about shaking off the water beforehand; the water is nice and starchy and will help the dish come together.) Stir the pasta and the sauce together, adding a little pasta water, if needed, to thin the sauce.
• Reserve 2 teaspoons of the cooked guanciale. Add the remaining cooked guanciale, half of the pecorino and some pepper. Stir and cook until the pasta is barely tender and the sauce has a nice sheen to it, about 2 minutes. Plate the pasta and garnish with the remaining pecorino and reserved 2 teaspoons of guanciale.

PASTA WITH SERENA'S AMATRICIANA SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the spaghetti, then salt. Cook the pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Drain, but do not discard the pasta water.
• In a large, deep saute pan, heat 2 cups of the Amatriciana sauce over medium-low heat until hot. Add the pasta into the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of the pasta water to the pan and toss the pasta to coat with the sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon each of the cheeses.
• Divide the pasta between 2 plates and top with the remaining cheese and the fresh herbs.
• To make the sauce:
• In a pan over medium-high heat, saute the pancetta until just starting to brown. Remove the pancetta and add the onion to the pan. Saute the onion until translucent, about 1 minute. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, tomato puree, and cooked pancetta to the pan. Stir and simmer until reduced by half. Add the cinnamon, cumin, and cardamom and stir. Simmer the mixture 5 more minutes.

PASTA AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• Make sure to have a pot of boiling salted water for pasta going before starting this dish. You will not cook the pasta all the way as you will finish it in the pan with the sauce. Drop the pasta into the boiling water to start the cooking process. Meanwhile, in a saute pan heat some oil over high heat and add the pancetta. Saute until the pancetta is rendered (most of the fat melts away), and then turn the heat down to medium. Pancetta should look like crispy bacon. Add the onions and stir constantly making sure the onions do not burn. Once the onions are soft and cooked through, add the red sauce. Cook for 1 minute, and then add the cheese and pepper flakes, stirring to incorporate. Turn off the heat on the sauce and add the cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce. Turn the heat back on to low and toss the pasta constantly so that the sauce will stick to the pasta (the sauce should be thick and shouldn't create a pool on the plate). Transfer the pasta and sauce to a bowl and sprinkle more cheese on top to serve.

PASTA AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add guanciale and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. To the skillet, add tomatoes, black pepper and red-pepper flakes, and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and smashing tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon, until tomatoes have broken down and sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to package directions until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain.
• Add pasta, tomato sauce and ½ cup of pasta cooking water back to the large pasta pot and stir vigorously over medium-high heat until pasta is evenly coated in the sauce, about 1 minute. (Add more pasta water if sauce is dry.) Remove from heat, stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt.
• Divide pasta among bowls and garnish with more cheese and black pepper.

PASTA AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• Cook chopped slab bacon in oil until done; remove with slotted spoon. Cook onion until soft, add chopped tomatoes, make sauce and toss with cooked spaghetti and bacon. Garnish: Pecorino.

PASTA ALL'AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• Cut guanciale into 1-inch by 1/8-inch strips.
• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add guanciale and cook until well browned and fully rendered, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a bowl. Leave all fat in the pan.
• Start pasta: Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until not quite done, about 10 minutes. You want it undercooked by at least 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
• At the same time, add wine to the guanciale fat in the saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce and pepper; bring to a simmer.
• Transfer the almost fully-cooked pasta into the sauce using a slotted spoon; it's okay if some water gets in the sauce. Add guanciale and stir to combine. Season with salt. Cook and stir until pasta absorbs the sauce and finishes cooking, and the sauce thickens up, about 3 minutes. If the sauce gets too thick, add a splash of the pasta water.
• Turn off the heat and add some of the Pecorino cheese. Stir until melted, then repeat until all cheese has been added.
• Ladle into 2 bowls and serve.

ENZO'S SPAGHETTI ALL'AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add guanciale and cook, stirring frequently until slightly browned, about 7 minutes. Remove guanciale to a plate. Leave a bit of the rendered fat in the skillet and discard the rest.
• Add onion to the skillet and cook and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute. Return guanciale to the skillet and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in white wine and cook until wine has reduced slightly, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in canned tomatoes, breaking up whole tomatoes with a spoon. Pour 1/3 cup water into the tomato can, swirl around to rinse the can, and pour into the skillet with remaining 2/3 cup water and tomato paste. Bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 10 to 12 minutes. Ladle out about 1/2 cup of the pasta water, add to the sauce in the skillet, and mix well. Drain spaghetti and stir into the sauce until well combined.
• Sprinkle generous amounts of Pecorino Romano cheese over each serving, and garnish with basil.