Rigatoni All Amatriciana Margarita

By CalorieList

This recipe is from Trattoria Il Timonere in Rome. Our friend Margarita and her father Senor Mario run this small family basement restaurant outside of Rome's center. The recipe's are her mothers, and only locals patronize this place since it's a 15 minute ride outside of Rome's historic tourist center. They have the best Amatriciana and Carbonara in all of Rome! Many other wonderful classics and the best "carciofi torta rustica" and "carciofi alla Romana" artichoke starter ever! The food is excellent, and we have been going there for the last several years. Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 1 1 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 Small Red Onion, chopped
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 White Wine
• 1/4 1/4 1 Lb. Guanciale, cut into strips and sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 2 2 3/4 Cups of good plain Italian Tomato Puree (like Whole Foods San Marzano Tomato Puree (bottled or canned) or 3/4 can of Progresso Tomato Puree.
• to Red Pepper, to taste
• to to taste
• 1/2 1/2 to Cup Grated Fresh Pecorino Romano, plus more to top
• 1 1 1 Lb Rigatoni

Preparation

Step 1

In a very large deep skillet or deep large frying dish pan (you are going to add all the cooked pasta at the end – so make it large enough)
Heat the olive oil over med/high heat, when hot fry about a 5 x 3” slab of guanciale – or 1/3 of the large piece you can get at IGourmet.com – or to your taste (slice them 1/8 inch x 1” pieces so it melts the fat easier- Fry the pieces in a very small amount of olive oil for about7-10 minutes until darkened and the fat melts into the pan. Unlike bacon most of this fat actually melts and has all the flavor for the sauce- what is left is a crispy bacon pieces for the sauce and only about a 1-2 tablespoons of the fat in the pan). ½ way through add the chopped onion and cook until translucent.

Boil your water –and start your pasta. while finishing for the sauce. Add your Rigatoni or pasta and cook al dente.

Once fat is rendered in the pan and you start to see some of the crispy bacon left, and the onion is clear – add the white wine and stir – cooked down the wine for about 1-2 minutes add the sauce just after – add about 1 teaspoon of salt – let it cook a minute stirring – then add the ½ cup pecorino cheese - stir and let it cook on high about 3 minutes or until most liquids absorb. Taste for adding additional salt, red pepper or cheese to your taste.

Add all the pasta to the pan and stir for about a minute or two to coat and stick the gravy to the pasta.
Serve immediately. Plate & add sprinkled fresh pecorino on top. Enjoy!!