No More Spaghetti and Meatballs
Linguine all'Amatriciana - Pancetta Makes It Better
North Texas isn’t known for its fine Italian cuisine. Barbeque, sure; Tex-Mex, definitely; but not Italian. So, since good restaurants are out of reach and fresh specialty ingredients don't exist, one has to make due with what is available. It may not have be authentic alla Denominazione di origine controllata, but a very good Linguine all'amatriciana (pronounced ah-MA-tree-CHAH-nah) can be made at home. It's simple, delicious, and tough to mess up.
Preparation time is about 15 minutes; cook time is 45 minutes. First things first, start with the basic ingredients:
- 3-4 medium-sized tomatoes, or 1 can of diced
- 1 small onion
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 lbs. un-smoked bacon or pancetta
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 handful of Linguine
- good pecchorino romano or parmaggiano reggiano
Preparation
- Chop the onion fine
- Trim the pancetta and cut into small chunks
- Heat Olive Oil at low heat
- Cook the bacon until brown
- Add onion to the oil after 3-4 minutes
- Add in the tomatoes and raise heat to high
- Once bubbling, bring to low heat
- Stir it once in a while for the next 40-45 minutes.
Bacon Makes It Better
Turn the stove to low heat and pour in the olive oil. It is easy to judge the temperature with a gas stove by the flame, but cooking (as opposed to baking) tends to be a little more about feel and a little less about precision anyway. While the oil heats, wash and dry the onion and tomatoes and trim the bacon/pancetta. Cut out the excess bacon fat. Flavorful as it is, the fat makes the dish too greasy. Cut it up into small chunks and simmer in the olive oil. Have the onion ready to go in about 3-4 minutes after the bacon.
Chop the onion finely to the point that it will dissolve into the sauce. Add it into the bacon and stir in the red pepper flakes. A word of caution: if spicy isn't appealing to you, go easy on the red pepper or risk sweating at the dinner table.
Cut the tomato into rough chunks while the bacon and onion cook. Let the bacon brown before adding the tomato. A splash of red wine, some fresh basil, or a few drops of balsamic vinegar will enhance the flavor, though the original recipe is perfect. As before, cooking is about feel and creativity. If it sounds like it might taste good, give it a shot.
Bring It To a Boil, Pour a Glass of Wine
After a few minutes, when the bacon and onion are a nice golden brown, add in the diced tomato. Stir. If using fresh tomatoes, it might be necessary to add a table spoon or three of warm water. Raise the heat to high just long enough to make it bubble, then lower it back to simmering and start the pasta water to boiling.
Stir the amatriciana every five to 10 minutes. Grate the parmaggiano while you're waiting and open a good bottle of red. Prepare the bowls with a nice pat of butter and some grated cheese in the bottom. After 35 minutes, start the linguine.
After 45 minutes, the amatriciana should be ready. Drain the pasta and split it up among the bowls. Add some more grated cheese (and some more butter, if you're watching your figure) and the amatriciana. A little more cheese on the top and it's ready to eat.
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