CONTRIBUTED BY MARIA DE CESARE AND ROMANO GORDINI ON FOODANDWINE.COM
ACTIVE: 20 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 50 MIN
SERVINGS: 4
Guests at Tuscany’s Podere Palazzo can take classes from chefs Iside Maria de Cesare and Romano Gordini at their La Parolina restaurant to learn to make classics like this pasta. True all’amatriciana sauce is made with guanciale(cured pork cheeks), but pancetta is a fine, easy-to-find substitute.
Category : Winter Pairings
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 pound guanciale or pancetta, cut into 1/2-by- 1/4-inch strips (see Note)
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons dry white wine
One 14.5-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices, crushed
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
10 ounces bucatini
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately low heat until very soft, 7 minutes. Add the guancialeand cook until translucent, 3 minutes. Add the vinegar, wine, tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of water and simmer until thick, 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the bucatini until al dente; reserve 2 tablespoons of the cooking water. Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce along with the reserved cooking water and cook over moderate heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of cheese. Serve right away, passing more cheese at the table.
NOTES Guanciale is available at Italian markets or online at salumeriarosi.com.
Wine Pairings
2012 Cabernet Franc