Amatriciana Recipe

Make the dough

On a clean work surface mound the flours and make a large well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well, add the olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt. Using a fork, gently whisk the eggs and gradually incorporate the flour from the inner wall until a shaggy dough forms.

Knead

Using the heels of your hands, knead the dough for 8–10 minutes until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. If dough is too dry add a teaspoon of water; if too sticky dust with a little flour. Form into a ball.

Rest

Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or place in a covered bowl and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to relax the gluten.

Roll and cut

Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Flatten one piece and pass through a pasta machine or roll by hand to about 1–2 mm thickness. Dust with flour as needed. Cut into bucatini, spaghetti or rigatoni-style strips (Amatriciana is traditionally served with bucatini or spaghetti). Place cut pasta on a floured tray while you finish remaining dough.

Prepare guanciale

Pat the guanciale dry and cut into 1/4–1/2 inch lardons. This yields both fat and crisped meat that will flavor the sauce.

Render guanciale

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the guanciale and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the fat has rendered and the lardons are golden and slightly crisp, about 6–8 minutes. If the pan gets too hot, reduce heat to avoid burning.

Deglaze

Pour in 1/4 cup dry white wine and raise the heat to medium-high. Scrape any browned bits from the pan and let the wine reduce by half, about 2–3 minutes.

Add peperoncino and pepper

Lower the heat to medium and add 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Stir briefly to bloom the spice in the fat.

Add tomatoes

Add the crushed canned tomatoes and 1/2 tsp fine sea salt. Stir to combine, then bring to a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors concentrate, about 12–15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Finish sauce with pecorino

Remove pan from heat. Stir in about half of the finely grated Pecorino to enrich the sauce and create a silky texture. Reserve the remaining Pecorino for tossing with the pasta and for serving.

Boil pasta

Bring 4 liters of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt. Add the fresh pasta and cook until just al dente — fresh pasta will take roughly 2–4 minutes depending on thickness. Reserve 1–1.5 cups of pasta cooking water before draining.

Combine pasta and sauce

Add the drained pasta to the sauce pan over low heat. Toss vigorously to coat, adding reserved pasta cooking water a few tablespoons at a time as needed to achieve a glossy, clingy sauce (usually 1/4–1/2 cup). Cook together 1–2 minutes so pasta finishes cooking in the sauce.

Final seasoning and serve

Take the pan off the heat and add the remaining grated Pecorino. Toss thoroughly. Taste and add more freshly ground black pepper or salt if necessary. Serve immediately, finishing each plate with an extra sprinkle of Pecorino and an optional drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil or a few fresh grinds of black pepper.