The story of “Bucatini all’Amatriciana”
October 11th, 2006Views:6905
This time we’d like to tell you another story about food and about a typical dish of Latium, known all over Italy like “Bucatini all’Amatriciana”!
A mountain small town, Amatrice, perhaps designed by the painter and architect Cola from Amatrice (about 1529), gave this dish its name and it is home of these famous spaghetti.
For who don’t know, “Bucatini all’Amatriciana” are spaghetti with a typical hole in them, with a tasty sauce made of: “guanciale” (pork meat that looks like bacon, so named because it is got from pig’s cheek and neck), onion, tomato and pecorino (sheep’s milk cheese).
However, this dish, so typical of Latium, seems to have its origins in Abruzzo, since Amatrice belonged, in ancient times, to the province of L’Aquila.
Therefore, there are still several disputes about who invented this dish and about who added, in the sauce, a basic ingredient: the tomato! Just so…according to some theories the famous bucatini seem, originally, to have been “in bianco” (without tomato sauce)!
Then, we suggest you visiting this small town and enjoying, also for us, the fantastic bucatini…in their original version!
Ha, if you will go to Amatrice, don’t forget to taste also the other very good typical local products: caciotta (soft cheese), ricotta (soft white unsalted cheese), fresh and mature pecorino (sheep’s milk cheese) and the local small-sized bologna.
Enjoy your meal!
Recipe: Bucatini all’Amatriciana
You should be able to get the pancetta for this recipe at a local Italian deli or specialty store. Bucatini is a thick rod shaped pasta with a hole in the center. If you prefer you could also spice this dish up a little by adding a pinch of crushed red pepper with the garlic.
Serves 4
2 tblsp of olive oil
1/4 of a pound pancetta, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 28 oz can of imported Italian tomatoes
salt & pepper to taste
1 pound of bucatini pasta
2 basil leaves washed, patted dry and torn into small pieces
- Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until golden about 1 minute longer.
- Crush tomatoes and add with juices to pan. Add salt & pepper and a little water. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the bucatini. Cook uncovered over high heat until al dente.
- Drain the pasta, then add the pasta and the basil to the sauce in the saucepan and toss well. Transfer to warm serving plates and serve immediately.
