A Roman classic and a favorite of neighborhood osterie, this is usually made with guanciale, cured pork cheeks, but pancetta or even slab bacon can be substituted. Bacon will give the sauce a smoky flavor that some cooks appreciate. But it’s not part of the original, and if you don’t want it and can’t get unsmoked guanciale or pancetta, blanch a whole small piece of slab bacon briefly in boiling water to get rid of the smokiness before dicing it.
The name amatriciana is the subject of endless debate. Many Romans say it refers to the town of Amatrice, high up in a mountainous spur of land that was once in the Abruzzi and is now part of the region of Lazio. It’s said that the best cooks in Roman trattorie and osterie traditionally came from Amatrice, hence the adoption by Roman sophisticates of an old-fashioned mountain farmhouse dish.
In Rome this is traditionally made with bucatini, long, hollow pasta like big spaghetti with a hole in the middle, but it’s also good with just about any other pasta shape, from spaghetti to spaghettoni to penne rigate to rigatoni. Romans do not like garlic in the Amatrice sauce and some even frown on the onion, but we think it adds to the sauce, just don’t call it amatriciana if serving it to an authentic Roman!
SERVES 4 TO 6
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 ounces cured pork, preferably guanciale (or pancetta, or bacon), diced small
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small dried red chili pepper, crumbled
One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, with their juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
About 1 pound (500 grams) bucatini or other pasta (see headnote)
Freshly grated aged pecorino
Combine the garlic, onion, and pork with the oil in a saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook gently, stirring occasionally. When the meat just begins to brown and render its fat, add the chili and stir, then add the tomatoes, breaking them up with your hands as you add them. Stir to mix and continue to break up the tomatoes in the pan, using the side of a spoon. As soon as the tomatoes start to bubble, turn the heat down and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is dense, 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and add salt and plenty of black pepper.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add salt and the pasta and cook following the directions here. As soon as the pasta is al dente, drain and turn it into a warm serving bowl. Immediately pour the sauce over the pasta and serve, turning the pasta and sauce together at the table and passing the grated pecorino.