A Rustic Italian Pasta Whose Origin is In Dispute
Bucatini all’amatriciana is a classic Italian dish. But there’s some dispute in Italy over its origin. People in the central Italian town of Amatrice say they’re responsible for its creation. Hogwash, say chefs in Rome, who claim it as their own. Regardless, this dish is one of our favorite pastas.
It packs lots of flavor and delivers a spicy kick, thanks to the use of red pepper flakes. In Italy, chefs use cured pork jowl, known as guanciale, for their bucatini all’amatriciana. (You can find it here online.) Recipes in this country typically call for bacon.
It packs lots of flavor and delivers a spicy kick, thanks to the use of red pepper flakes. In Italy, chefs use cured pork jowl, known as guanciale, for their bucatini all’amatriciana. (You can find it here online.) Recipes in this country typically call for bacon.
In her book Delicious Memories (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2011), Ana Boiardi uses thickly sliced bacon. She’s the granddaughter of Mario Boiardi and the great-niece of Hector Boiardi, founders of The Chef Boiardi Food Product Co. (Click here to see the recipe.)
Bucatini is a dried pasta which resembles thick, hollow spaghetti. Boiardi says you can substitute spaghetti if you can’t locate a store that sells bucatini. You could use our Everyday extra virgin olive oil to sauté the onions, bacon and other ingredients.
Boiardi suggests the ingredients should be “roughly chopped,” noting: “This is a rustic dish.”
Rustic indeed … and a perfect Italian comfort food for a cold winter night.
Bon appétit,
Your friends at California Olive Ranch
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