Spaghetti all'Amatriciana

After making spaghetti all'Amtriciana with my fresh pancetta the other night, I searched through my blog archive to make sure that I had already posted a recipe for all'Amatriciana sauce, a fiery pasta sauce that has become one of my favorite weeknight meals.  To my dismay, I had never posted the recipe, so here it is. 

My technique for cooking all'Amatriciana is derived from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.  Since I used fresh pancetta, which is meatier than the traditional cured pancetta and can be used with slightly less restraint, I cut the pancetta into bigger pieces than I normally would have.  If you use real pancetta, 1/4-inch dice will work best.

Spaghetti all'Amatriciana
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 lb. fresh pancetta, sliced 1/4-inch thick and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 28 oz. can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, drained and chopped into small pieces
• 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
• salt, to taste
• 1 lb. spaghetti or bucatini
• pecorino romano cheese, for grating over the pasta

Directions:

1. Heat the oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the onion to the pan and sauté it until it is soft and golden, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Stir the tomatoes, red pepper and salt into the saucepan.  Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and let cook until it is thickened and the flavors are well-combined, about 25 minutes.  Taste the sauce for salt. 
5. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  
6. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce.  Stir the pasta and sauce for a minute or two until the pasta strands are coated with the sauce.  Serve the pasta immediately, topped with grated pecorino romano cheese.