Spaghetti All'amatriciana

Sugo all amatriciana comes from the mountain village of Amatrice in the Lazio region. If you visit Rome, this is the dish you MUST eat. The real bon vivants go for the slightly fattier guanciale or pork jowl. This is creamier and a little sweeter in flavour (my personal favourite). If you prefer something leaner, you should opt for pancetta. I give you my recipe of amatriciana, adding onion for an extra sweet touch. It will be our little, dirty secret 😉 .

serves: two
cooking time: 20 min

INGREDIENTS

• a big splash of olive oil
• half an onion, finely chopped
• a small chilli, finely chopped
• 50g guanciale or pancetta, cubes or strips
• 350ml passata di Pomodoro
• 250g pasta

HOW TO MAKE IT?

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the guanciale or pancetta until you see the fat melt. Add the onion and fry until translucent. Add the passata, chilli, pepper and salt and simmer for 20 minutes. 

While the sauce is simmering, prepare the pasta. Bring a large quantity of water to the boil with a good deal of salt (allow for one litre of water per 100 grams of pasta). And when I say "a lot of salt", I mean a lot of salt. Mum always says that the pasta water should taste as salty as seawater. Cook the pasta as long as necessary (see packaging). When the pasta is ready, spoon it straight into the pan. Is there some water coming along? No worries! It will make your sauce thicker and creamier—extra yummy. 

Leave the pasta in the pan for a few minutes on high heat while you stir it. The pasta will absorb some of the sauce, and the starch will bind the sauce.

And now: enjoy!

Buon appetito 😘

Michelle