Bucatini Amatriciana: Simple, Red, Perfect
Pasta Persuasion
For the 2021 Pirelli Gran Premio del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia Romagna (and yes I had to copypasta that from Wikipedia), I originally planned a completely different menu that included fresh made pasta using my handy-dandy KitchenAid pasta rolling attachment. All of that went out the window when I visited Peasant Cheese for a yummy ham & brie sandwich lunch and saw THE most beautiful package of Benedetto Cavalieri pasta by the deli counter. Plans quickly shifted to a pasta course featuring bucatini.
As the menu evolved, I landed on a pasta course for the Formation Lap course and Zuppa de Cozze for the Race Leader. Amatriciana is the perfect light passata sauce to enjoy as a starter, with a little kick of chili and meaty pancetta. With only 6 ingredients, this is the perfect dish to enjoy for a cozy weeknight meal with friends and a rich red wine.
Here is everything you need for this dish. Seriously.
Local Market Highlight: The Italian Centre Calgary
Don’t be surprised if you see the Italian Centre mentioned many times on Grand Prix Eats – this is my grocery store in Calgary hands down. The selection of Italian ingredients is ridiculous, any ingredient you could ever need for an Italian dish can be found at the Italian Centre – including hundreds of antipasta, import European snacks and biscuits, and an entire aisle dedicated to just pasta. Along with impressive non-perishables (which, granted, you expect from any European market), what makes The Italian Centre a truly one-stop-shop for your weekly grocery run is the incredible local produce and farm-raised meat selection. Anything you could need is here, along with IMO the best deli in the city. If you live in Calgary and haven’t patroned the Italian Centre yet, set aside an afternoon and let yourself get lost in all the delicious nooks and crannies this local family-run market has to offer.
Bucatini Amatriciana
A simple tomato passata sauce with chili, garlic, and crispy pancetta. Finish with grana padano and enjoy with a rich glass of Italian red wine.
Equipment
- Large Pot for Pasta
- Large saute pan
Ingredients
- ½ long red chili
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups passata
- 3 slices pancetta, thick cut
- 1 handful grana padano, shaved
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil on your stovetop and season heavily with salt.
- While water is coming to a boil, finely chop your chili and garlic cloves.
- Slice your thick cut pancetta into medium sized chunks.
- Drop the pasta in the salted water and set a timer for the cooking time on the package. If using bucatini, this would usually be around 11 minutes.
- In a large saute pan at a medium-high heat, fry the pancetta until crispy. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Using the remaining pancetta fat in the pan, saute the chili and garlic for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour in the passata. If there is quite a bit of fat left in the pan you might get some spattering, so pour with caution and be sure to protect your outfit with a kitchen apron. Reduce the heat to a low and cook the passata for about 8-10 minutes. By the time the pasta is al dente the sauce should be reduced sufficiently.
- Using tongs, remove the pasta from the boiling water and place directly into the passata. Ladle a bit of pasta water into the passata and stir to help emulsify the sauce. Serve in a shallow bowl and season with fresh pepper, a light drizzle of olive oil, and a generous shaving of grana padano cheese.
