Rigatoni all’Amatriciana

I decided to make one of the dishes we had had that night, the classic Roman Bucatini all’Amatriciana. The Amatriciana sauce if one of the best known of all the pasta sauces and was named a Traditional ago-alimentary product of Lazio, by the Italian government, an official approval bestowed on traditional regional foods. The dish is from Amatrice, an Umbrian town that sadly was fell victim to the earthquake in August which destroyed 75% of the town. If you would like to donate to the earthquake victims in Umbria, please click to donate to the Italian Red Cross. (If anyone needs help with form, please let me know. Side note, this post is (literally) a little close to home today as I am in Umbria and two more earthquakes hit last night, October 26. I am safe and sound.)

Bucatini is a pasta which is much thicker than spaghetti with a hole in the middle. (“Buca” means hole or space.) Now while I love Amatriciana sauce with its smokey tomatoey goodness, I have to confess, I’ve always found the Bucatini noodle somewhat difficult to twirl. I don’t know if it’s because the thicker noodle doesn’t play as nicely with the fork, or if I am just Bucatini-challenged.

I love this sauce, and it is another good “sauce for students” as it is fairly budget-friendly, easy to make, quick to prep and really good. Traditionally, the sauce is made with guanciale (cured pork cheek) and Pecorino cheese. I’ve made a few switches to make it easier to find what you need at the grocery store. To avoid my challenge with Bucatini, I decided to make it with a Rigatoni, another pasta traditionally  served with this sauce. No Bucatini? You can also use spaghetti.

Prep time:  5 minutes; Cook time: 1 hour (includes 30+ minutes simmering time); Serves: 4-6

What you need:

• 1 796 ml can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 250 g diced pancetta (or diced bacon)
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I used a garlic press)
• 1/2 tbsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (you can use more, or you can use chili flakes, if you want a bit more of a kick)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 500 g rigatoni, cooked, 1 cup of pasta water reserved
• grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

What you do:

• In a large pot on medium-high heat, add the olive oil
• Add the pancetta

• Cook pancetta until it starts to get crispy, about 5-10 minutes
• Add the onions and garlic, stirring, cook until softened

• Add the red pepper flakes

• Add the dried basil

• Stir for a minute to toast the herbs slightly

• Add crushed tomatoes, stir

• Turn down to low heat and simmer for 30 minutes
• Add cooked rigatoni to the sauce

• Stir to coat the rigatoni

• (if sauce is too thick, add some of the pasta water)
• Serve topped with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Pecorino)