WHAT IS BUCATINI ALL’AMATRICIANA?

Bucatini All’Amatriciana is a classic Italian pasta dish. The sauce is named after its central Italian hometown of Amatriciana.  It is so easy to make you’ll be sure to make it often.  To read more about this sauce in particular, click here!

SUGGESTIONS WHEN MAKING BUCATINI ALL’AMATRICIANA

• Bucatini or Spaghetti?

 The pasta for this dish is bucatini. At first look it may seem like fat spaghetti. Look closer inspection and you will see that it is actually hollow like a tube, rather than a string.

• How much pepper?

Bucatini All’Amatriciana is a spicy dish that uses red pepper flakes. The heat is tempered by the salty Pecorino Romano cheese but just how much heat you’d like is up to you!

WHAT PAIRS WELL WITH BUCATINI ALL’AMATRICIANA?

In determining what wine to pair this dish with, the pancetta below plays an important part in that decision (though purists of this recipe refuse to add this ingredient).  This reduces the fatty fat fattiness a bit, though the spiciness of the red pepper, the saltiness of the cheese and the acid from the tomatoes are still at play.  Try a crisp Italian Sangiovese or a good Zinfandel with a bit of oak in it. Be forewarned, faint-hearted wines and other weak beverages will be overpowered by this dish. (written by Chef Stef)