Spice It Up: Bucatini all'Amatriciana

By: Eric Guido

If it isn’t broken, why fix it? This is a question I’ve asked myself often as I’ve traveled the road of understanding traditional Italian cuisine. I understand adjusting a recipe to fit society’s current palate but in many cases I find it unwarranted. I can’t count how many times I’ve set out to experiment with a traditional recipe, thinking it may not appeal to the taster, only to find that they love it. In Italy, a sense of place is important, and if you take away certain components of a dish, you take away that which makes it special; you take away its sense of place.

I found this to be extremely apparent with the dish, Bucatini all'Amatriciana. I thought back to culinary school and looked at the old recipe I was given and then began to search for other recipes, some of which came from esteemed chefs. One ingredient that almost all of these recipes substituted with pancetta is guanciale, which also happens to be the most important ingredient and the one that truly gives this dish a sense of place. I ask again; if it isn’t broken, why fix it?

Guanciale is an unsmoked, salt cured meat prepared from the pig’s jowl or cheek. What does it taste like? It tastes like the best slice of bacon you’ve ever had. That flavor is imparted into the sauce of Bucatini all'Amatriciana and truly makes this dish special. It provides a rich pork flavor that is accentuated by a spicy tomato sauce and tempered with a sprinkle of pecorino Romano cheese. This is the stuff that stops conversations around the table, as your guests are enthralled by it’s depth of flavors. Best of all, it’s a simple preparation that only depends on sourcing the best ingredients and can be prepared, start to finish, in under a half hour.

As for pairing wine, well that’s where it can get tricky. Remember that this is a spicy dish by nature and with heat, you always risk the possibility of overwhelming certain wines. I wouldn’t pair a feminine or elegant red with this dish because the heat will dull the wine on the palate. However, a good Zinfandel usually has the intensity, ripe fruit and zesty to truly balance out the heat in this dish. Also, a bit of new oak does wonders contrasting the aromas of the Guanciale.

2010 Ridge Zinfandel East Bench - The nose on the 2010 East Bench shows sweet floral notes with crushed blueberry, cinnamon, a hint of vanilla and an airy herbal lift that pulls it from confectionary and allows the bouquet to remain elegant and fresh. On the palate, it shows an intense mix of berries with massive concentration, followed by a note of citrusy acidity that keeps it fresh. The finish is long and shows hints of the structure that is otherwise masked by this wine’s intense fruit. (91 points)

I beg you to look for guanciale. Could you substitute it with pancetta and still enjoy this dish? Sure, but I assure you that it is pale in comparison to guanciale. I was able to find guanciale after only stopping at two Italian butchers. It’s certainly not something that you’ll find at the local supermarket but, with just a little digging, it’s very possible to source.

Also, I found that using a combination of both fresh and canned tomatoes gave this dish a gorgeous contrast on the palate and my tasting panel agreed wholeheartedly. You could just use the canned tomatoes but it would take away from the recipe, in my opinion.

Makes 4 – 5 servings

½ pound slice guanciale
1 pound Bucatini (pasta)
4 –5 cloves of Garlic (rough chop)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (you can double this if you prefer a good amount of heat)
28oz of canned San Marzano tomatoes
¾ cup of plum or grape tomatoes cut into large dice (must be fresh and ripe)
¾ cup of grated pecorino Romano cheese
½ cup red wine (preferably the same wine you plan to pair with the dish)
Olive oil (as needed)
Bunch of fresh basil (for garnish)


Place a large pot of salted water on a burner on high to bring to a boil.

Strain the juice from the canned tomatoes and, over a strainer, try to remove as many seeds as possible. When you’re done, you should have a bowl of strained and deseeded tomatoes and a bowl of tomato juice.

Place a medium to large sauté pan (or sauce pan) over a medium flame. Add olive oil to just barley coat the pan. Before the oil gets too hot, add the guanciale. Think about making Sunday bacon, but with the intention of pulling the meat before it gets crispy.

Add the pasta to the water and set the timer for one minute short of its recommended cooking time.

Remove the guanciale from the pan onto a paper towel to drain, and pour the rendered fat from the pan through a fine mesh strainer. (This is not 100% necessary, but those small bits you can’t scoop out with a spoon may burn if you leave them in the pan.) Wipe any burnt bits from the pan and pour two tbls of the rendered pork fat back into the pan.

Add the rep pepper flakes, the garlic and the fresh tomatoes. Allow to cook over medium-low flame for two minutes. Then (with the pan removed from the burner) add the red wine.

Once the wine has begun to reduce, add the strained San Marzano tomatoes and a cup of the strained tomato juice that came from the can. Bring this entire mixture to a simmer and allow to reduce for 3 – 5 minutes.

Around this time, the pasta should be done. Strain the pasta and pour back into the pot. Now pour the sauce over the pasta and stir until combined. Sprinkle half of the cheese into the pot as well as half of the cooked guanciale. Over a low flame, stir until completely combined. Allow this mixture to cook for one minute on low flame.

Check for seasoning, but remember that the guanciale can add a good amount of seasoning on its own.

Chiffonade the basil.

To plate, place a mound of pasta on a heated plate and sprinkle with pecorino Romano, then guanciale, and finally the basil chiffonade. Clean the rim of you plate and serve.

Food & Wine in The Dog Days of Summer

I’m sitting with a cup of coffee on a lazy Sunday morning and trying to catch up with things as my busy summer season comes to an end. I’ve enjoyed some wonderful wines this summer with more to come in the next few weeks. I’ve included notes on a few I wanted to share with everyone today.

Firstly, two weeks ago was the release of my most recent article on www.snooth.com, Bucatini all'Amatriciana. Where I ask the age-old question of “If it ain’t broke, why fix it?” This traditional Italian dish finds itself constantly downplayed in our society because of constant substitutions of its core ingredients and laziness during the preparation. In my most recent article, I show just how easy it is to make this stunning Italian classic that will blow you away. Your guests will never be able to eat this dish anywhere else, besides from your kitchen, after you show them just how delectable it can be.

Check it out on snooth: Bucatini all'Amatriciana

On to the wines; This has been a great summer for finding some moderately priced wines that deliver an amazing amount of pleasure. The three wines below are all fantastic and could easily stand tall against much more expensive bottles. They are all in the $30 - $45 range but would make for a great bottle to have at a special dinner.

2003 L'Arco Valpolicella Classico Superiore - Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Valpolicella Classico Superiore (8/21/2010)
Opened four hours prior to dinner.

The nose, at first, showed rich chocolate cover cherry, but upon a second sniff, the details began to come forward with crushed fall leaves, undergrowth and cinnamon. The palate was remarkably finessed and showing ripe cherries, dried cherries, tobacco and flower petals. As it flowed across the mid-palate, bitters and spice came forward, yet somehow a slightly sweet component shined through. The finish is long... long... long with cherries and christmas spice.

My only regret is that I didn't buy more of this great wine. This is beautiful for the price ($35). I could convince someone that this cost more than twice its price. Stunning. (93 pts.) Find it on Wine-Searcher

2007 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (8/15/2010)
Upon opening, an intense showing of cherry liquor with a sour bitter component but with time (2 hours) ripe plum came forward with soil, chalk dust and a bit of vanilla. The palate comes across as a bit sticky and sweet, at first, but rounds out into a velvety expression of raspberry fruit with cola and clove. The finish is long, soft and refined with red fruit.

It's fruit forward but still shows a good amount of earth and pinot character. I see this as a real crowd pleaser and will buy more. (91 pts.) Find it on Wine-Searcher

2006 Trespass Zinfandel - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (7/27/2010)
Trespass manages to walk that tight rope between richness and finesse, and they walk it so well. This bottles showed dark blue fruit and vanilla with chalk dust and a hint of heat on the nose. The palate is rich, soft... lush, yet finessed with dark cherry and allspice. The finish is long and shows sour red fruits.

Trespass continues to be one of the best performers from my cellar. This Napa Valley winery, is well worth seeking out. Check out their website here: Trespass Vineyards (91 pts.)

Lastly, a friend and fellow wine collector, Ken Vastola, has put together a new website, The Fine Wine Geek. His new sight (really and old site with an update and new home) focuses on near encyclopedic data of producers such as Bruno Giacosa, Giacomo Conterno, Bartolo Mascarello and Sine Qua Non. This is a must see website for Barolo collectors and one that I’m sure I’ll use for regular reference. My favorite part are the Bartolo Mascarello pages that show his hand drawn labels, which are near impossible to find.

There's some really great stuff in the works for The V.I.P. Table in the coming weeks. Make sure to check back for weekly updates or set up a RSS Feed subscription. See you in another week.

Eric Guido

2006 Black Cat, out of its shell, out of this world.

After last week’s article, “A black cat, crossing your path, is not always bad luck.” I was asked by Merrill Lindquist of EMH Vineyards to re-taste the 2006 vintage. Since my tasting notes of the 2006 were from my visit to Napa in the summer of 2009, I felt it was a very fair request and Merrill assured me that this wine had really started to show its potential. Let me just say that I’m glad I took her up on this challenge!

The 2006 EMH vineyards, Black Cat, was on a whole new level from my previous tasting. Almost a year has passed, and this dark beauty has really come out of its shell. Upon pouring, the aromatics leapt from the glass and filled the room with a bouquet of sweet floral notes and dark fruits. With a swirl in the glass I found blackberry, cherry and anise with notes of pepper and sage. The palate showed rich spicy black currant, cinnamon gram cracker and dark chocolate, yet also showed wonderful vibrancy and finesse. The finish went on and on for over a minute with a seductive mix of clove, cinnamon, star anise and cherry. I am impressed and happy to upgrade my score to 93+ points!

Not only is this a treat to drink but it held up to a plate of Bucatini all'Amatriciana, which is no easy task with this traditional Italian pasta dish that has a lion’s share of flavor and spice.