Pasta Allamatriciana Cooks Illustrated Recipes

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 - COOK'S ILLUSTRATED

Steps:

• 1. Bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil in a large pot. 2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the pancetta or bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the pancetta or bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside. If necessary, drain all but 2 tablespoons fat from the skillet. Add the onion to the skillet; sauté over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the hot red pepper flakes and cook to release their flavor, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and salt to taste; simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. 3. While the sauce is simmering, add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to the boiling water. Cook until pasta is al dente; drain and return the pasta to the empty pot. 4. Add the pancetta to the tomato sauce and adjust the seasonings with salt. Add the sauce to the pot with the pasta and toss over low heat to combine, about 30 seconds. Add the pecorino cheese and toss again; serve immediately.

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.