A Jaw-Dropping Peasant Dish
Truthfully!
What seems like a pretty unassuming Italian plate of pasta is elevated by guanciale, which translates to “cheek.” This cut of pork comes from the jowl and is full of rich, savory fat.
Long before it became a staple of Roman pasta dishes, guanciale was favored by traveling shepherds who needed a sturdy, transportable cured meat to nosh on. Nowadays, it’s air-dried for up to four months with a spicy dry rub, giving it a unique, savory flavor. Check your local butcher shops to find the authentic version, or if you need to, you can sub in pancetta or some center cut, thick sliced bacon, such as Hempler’s. You can recreate Moe’s simply savory version of pasta all’Amatriciana recipe below:
What You Will Need
Ingredients:
- 1.25 lb traditional guanciale (pancetta or bacon can be substituted)
- 2 cans whole, peeled tomatoes
- 4 oz. Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 package dried bucatini, spaghetti or rigatoni (depending on preference)
- 1/4 cup pasta water
- 1/4 cup white wine (optional)
- Salt
Equipment:
- Cutting board
- Cheese grater
- 1 large butcher or slicing knife
- 1 medium nonstick skillet
- 1 stockpot
- 1 large mixing bowl
- Wooden stirring spoon or spatula
Cooking Instructions
- Slice the pork and cut down into bite-sized pieces.
- Preheat the nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Add the cans of tomatoes to a large bowl. Make small slits in each whole tomato to release any trapped liquid, then use your fingers to gently crush the tomatoes into a chunky sauce.
- Fill the stockpot with 4 quarts of water and set on a high flame to boil. Add a generous amount of fine or course salt (about a fistful).
- Sauté the pork in the heated skillet until the fat renders and the meat is golden and crispy. Remove the pork while leaving the liquid fat in the pan.
- Over low-medium heat, add the red pepper flakes to the pork fat, and optionally add in the white wine. Deglaze by simmering down the liquid to half its amount.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer until thick.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water in stockpot and cook as directed until al dente.
- Drain the pasta once finished and reserve the small amount of pasta water from the pot.
- Combine the sauce with the pasta and pasta water back in the stock pot. Stir in the grated Pecorino Romano cheese, reserving a small amount for garnish.
- Add the reserved crispy guanciale back to the pasta.
- Plate each serving of pasta and sprinkle with additional cheese as a garnish. For Roman-inspired plating, twirl a mound of pasta with a fork and serving spoon to add some extra pizazz.
- Finally, to complete the rustic feel of the dish, add a side of crusty Italian sliced bread, toasted and drizzled with olive oil.
Serves four.
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