In this video, we learn how to make bucatini all’Amatriciana, one of the four classic Roman pasta dishes, along with cacio e pepe, carbonara and pasta alla gricia. It is named for the small town of Amatrice, located about an hour northeast of Rome.

The dish is essentially a simple tomato sauce that includes guanciale – cured pig jowl, which has a stronger, porkier flavour than other cured meats, and really adds depth of flavour to the dish – and finished with black pepper and pecorino cheese. It’s an easy authentic pasta recipe, and is as delicious as it is easy.

Guanciale can sometimes be hard to find, in which case a good substitution can be made by using high-quality pancetta, or even bacon.

Amatriciana is traditionally paired with bucatini, a thick, hollow, spaghetti-like pasta that catches the sauce wonderfully, but spaghetti or even penne can also be used instead.

For ingredients and written instructions, click here. To view the original video, click here.

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