Bucatini amatriciana

Today I describe an other classic dish of the Italian cooking, once again made with poor ingredients, once available to everybody, and  still so delicious. 

If you ate this pasta in a typical osteria in Rome, you will never forget it!

I was asking some ladies at the supermarket in Rome while buying the pork jowl and each one had her own recipe and a way to cut the meat. Cubes or thick stripes, anyway, I suggest be careful not to burn it, it must not be chewy.

Choose the ingredients very well! They are just 4 and humble, but must be good.

Ingredients for 4

320 grs / 11 oz. Bucatini (or spaghetti)

100 grs / 3.5 oz.Guanciale (Pork jowl) unsmoked

200 grs./ 11 oz. pecorino romano - grated
4 ripe tomatoes
1 or 2 - up to you -  hot peppers
1 spoon lard

Wash and clean the tomatoes and peel them (gently cut the skin on bottom with an X cut, drop in a pan of boiling water, drain and peel them when warm…)- you can use the same water in which you will cook the bucatini) and cut them into stripes.

In the meanwhile cut the pork jowl in cubes or long stripes, melt the lard and gently sautè the pork in a large frying pan with a hot red pepper. Let the pork become golden, add the tomatoes and make them sauté for about 10-15 minutes. The tomatoes will melt.

Take off the hot red pepper, add fresh ground pepper. And keep warm.

Cook your pasta in abundant salted water (10 grs/ liter)  - al dente – as shown on the packaging, drain it well in a colander and put it in the pan with the sauce.

Stir well and add the grated pecorino romano. 

Serve immediately.