Bombolotti All Amatriciana Recipes

AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• Cook diced bacon in a large saucepan over medium high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from the pan.
• Add onions, and cook over medium heat about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes; cook 30 seconds. Add canned tomatoes, undrained; simmer 10 minutes, breaking up tomatoes.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of 4 quarts boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.
• Stir basil into the sauce, and then toss with cooked pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

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 (GUANCIALE, TOMATO, AND PECORINO ROMANO)

Steps:

• Put the guanciale and oil in a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium and heat gently so the guanciale renders some fat and starts to brown. Taste a piece to assess how salty it is. Then, when it just begins to become crisp, add the chopped onion (if using) and sauté gently until transparent. Add the tomatoes and chile, then taste for salt (how much you need will depend on the guanciale).
• Finish cooking the sauce, covered, over low heat. You'll know it's done when the liquid has thickened somewhat and the fat shows on the surface, about 20 minutes.
• Make-ahead note: This much can be done earlier in the day, but this sauce is not customarily made in advance or kept, except casually as leftovers for the next day.
• Bring 5 quarts (5 liters) of water to a boil in an 8-quart (8-liter) pot over high heat. Add 3 tablespoons kosher salt, then add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente.
• Warm a serving bowl or platter in a low oven. If the oven is not practical, warm the bowl just before use with hot water, even a ladleful of the pasta cooking water.
• Drain the pasta and put it in the warmed serving bowl. Toss it first with the grated cheese, then with the sauce. Serve immediately.

BOMBOLOTTI ALL' AMATRICIANA RECIPE

Steps:

• * Note 1: Bombolotti pasta is in the shape of a squat, ridged tube, essentially, half-rigatoni. But artisanal spaghetti or bucatini will do nicely as well. * Note 2: Guanciale, cured pork cheek, is available by mail from specialty sources such as Corti Bros., in Sacramento, (800) 509-3663, and BuonItalia in New York, (212) 633-9090 or www.buonitalia.com Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, 12 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the guanciale into strips about 2 inches long and one-fourth-inch thick. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the guanciale and cook until lightly brown, another minute (it will not cook like bacon). Add the onion and cook another minute. If necessary, spoon excess fat from the pan. Add the tomatoes and cook 2 minutes. Add salt to taste and the red pepper flakes. Discard the garlic. Drain the pasta and add to the skillet. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and pecorino Romano. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and toss together. This recipe yields 4 servings. Each serving: 259 calories; 174 mg. sodium; 20 mg. cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 1.92 grams fiber.

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.