The classic Roman pasta dish we have fallen in love with...Amatriciana.

Plus, a bit of This & That.

Amatriciana

While in Florence, we spent the afternoon with an old friend of Andre's, Gabe Moltedo, who made us the most delicious Amatriciana fusilli for lunch. The simple dish perfectly combined comforting, savory, and salty flavors. It was so tasty, and I was surprised that we had never attempted to make this pasta dish at home. After all, we make and eat a LOT of pasta.

So, we decided to do a little research and make an Amatriciana of our own. We picked up some nice guanciale, tropea onions, and Pecorino Romano. Andre always searches our talented and charming friend Nino Asaro's Insta highlights (he is a MUST follow) because the way he cooks is just as Andre's grandmother used to; uncomplicated, authentic, and comforting so he feels like it's always a great place to begin a recipe. After watching Nino's Amatriciana, we spent the last week making and eating a lot of it, tweaking the recipe to our taste before sharing it with you. 

For this dish, success will come down to using the highest-quality ingredients and monitoring the saltiness, as it can quickly become overpowering if you aren't paying attention. Look for guanciale at your local butcher shop or Italian deli, and if you can't find that, you can substitute it with pancetta. 

AMATRICIANA

(Adapted from Nino Asaro's recipe)

Serves 2

• 6 oz. dried mezzi rigatoni, rigatoni, fusilli, or penne (traditionally, the dish is made with spaghetti or bucatini, but we prefer a tube shape)

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup guanciale, cut into 1/4" wide x 1/2" long rectangles

• 1/2 Tropea onion (substitute 1/2 large shallot if needed), peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise