Pasta amatriciana is a dish that’s over 200 years old – first documented being served to Pope Pius VII in 1816. When something this simple sticks around for that long, you know it must be delicious. Enjoy this classic past dish!
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Pasta Amatriciana
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 oz smoked jowl or pancetta, chopped into ¼-inch cubes (¾ cup)
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed with your hands in a bowl
⅛ tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
⅛ tsp red-pepper flakes
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1 pound dried bucatini
¾ cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for garnish
1. In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add smoked jowl and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. To the skillet, add tomatoes, black pepper and red-pepper flakes, and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and smashing tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon, until tomatoes have broken down and sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to package directions until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain.
3. Add pasta, tomato sauce and ½ cup of pasta cooking water back to the large pasta pot and stir vigorously over medium-high heat until pasta is evenly coated in the sauce, about 1 minute. (Add more pasta water if sauce is dry.) Remove from heat, stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt.
4. Divide pasta among bowls and garnish with more cheese and black pepper.