Bucatini all'amatriciana

Name: Bucatini all'amatriciana
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 400 g bucatini; 150 g guanciale, in strips; 1 splash of dry white wine; 400 g passata (or chopped San Marzano); 1 small dried peperoncino (restrained); 60 g Pecorino Romano, grated + extra; Sea salt, black pepper

Crisply rendered guanciale, a tomato sauce that takes on its savour, and plenty of Pecorino to bind it all — with bucatini, whose hollow centre draws in the sauce. Rome's hearty classic, with only a restrained heat.

Beef & Game Category

15 MIN Prep time

25 MIN Cook time

4 people Servings

Preparation

Render the guanciale

Render the guanciale crisp in a dry pan over medium heat. Remove some of it, deglaze with a splash of white wine.

Sauce

Briefly roast the peperoncino, add the tomatoes and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes; season with pepper.

Pasta

Cook the bucatini in salted water al dente and reserve a little pasta water.

Bring together

Toss the pasta in the sauce, off the heat bind in the Pecorino and a little pasta water until creamy and scatter the crisp guanciale on top.

Serve

Serve with extra Pecorino and pepper.

Why this wine?

With Gigue:

The Gigue, with fresh, lively fruit, cuts through the fat of the guanciale and the salty depth of the Pecorino; its tannin keeps the tomato acidity in balance.

With Sarabande:

The Sarabande brings more structure and a darker tone — for those who want to give the savoury sauce more weight.