Pasta all'Amatriciana

One of my favourite primo (first course) dishes is pasta all'Amatriciana. The sauce is a traditional pasta sauce based on guanciale (cured pork cheek), pecorino cheese, and tomato. Originating from the town of Amatrice (in the mountainous Province of Rieti of Lazio region), the Amatriciana is one of the best known pasta sauces in Roman and Italian cuisine. I love how all the flavours blend really well with each other.

Without further ado, here's the recipe:

Recipe for 2 people:

200 gr of spaghetti or bucatini

150 gr of passata di pomodoro

80 gr of guanciale (or pancetta) ask for it to be cut 1/2" thick

1/2 chili pepper

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

a pinch of salt

Pecorino cheese (as required)

Grate your pecorino cheese and slice your chili pepper thinly. Cube the guanciale and take a non-stick frying pan. At this point, you can start the pasta. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and a pinch of coarse salt and add the pasta. Cook according to package directions.

Heat the EVO (extra virgin oil) in the non-stick frying pan, and when hot, add the guanciale. Stir the guanciale so that it gets cooked uniformly. When the fat becomes clear, add the chili pepper. Cook another 2 minutes; add the passata and cook on medium heat for another 10 minutes so that all the flavours blend together.

Drain the pasta and turn off the heat on the frying pan. After you have drained the pasta add it to the frying pan and fold in all the ingredients very well. Add a generous sprinkle of pecorino and top with a basil leaf. Enjoy!!!

Thermomix TM31 version:

Grate the cheese: 10 seconds, speed 4. Remove from bowl. Grate the chili pepper: 3 secs, speed 6. Use the spatula to push the grated chili pepper at the bottom of the bowl. At this point, you can start the pasta. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and a pinch of coarse salt and add the pasta. Cook according to package directions. Add cubed guanciale and EVO to Thermomix bowl and cook 10 min 90°C, reverse, speed 1. Add passata and salt, cook for another 15 mins, 100°C, reverse, speed 1. After you have drained the pasta add the sauce to the pot and fold in all the ingredients very well. Add a generous sprinkle of pecorino and top with a basil leaf. Enjoy!!!

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Find your food here:

You can find passata at Whole Foods.

You can find guanciale or pancetta at Granville Island Market, Jackson's Meat & Market Meat on 4th Avenue, La Grotta del Formaggio, Bosa Foods and Cioffi's.

Tips:

You can store your leftover amatriciana in the fridge for 1 day. I do not recommend freezing it.

Recipe taken from http://www.ricettedalmondo.it/bucatini-all-amatriciana-bimby.html