Amatriciana is an integral part of the four pastas of Rome. Say it with me, Ama – Tree – Shana! This is the dish that teaches us the beautiful symphony of flavors you can develop combining tomato and pork. Two fundamentals I learned from my Italian grandma and mom when building a tasty red sauce is to always add water to your tomato sauce when cooking, and if you can, always add meat for more flavor. Water helps to thin out the red sauce so it doesn’t burn quite as easily and doesn’t need as much stirring, while meat slowly braises in the sauce, releasing its fat and meaty flavor into the tomato, taking the sauce to another level.

This recipe utilizes the cured pork fat to marry the tomato sauce and sheepy pecorino cheese in just sixteen minutes. After some practice, you will learn you can use any favorite tomato sauce you have, crisp up some guanciale, and fold in some cheese to create your perfect Amatriciana.

Heating the guanciale is the first part of this process and this happens rather quickly. Using medium-high to low heat is a good rule of thumb when rendering pork fat. Start cooking at medium-high heat then move to low. Our goal is to render as much fat from the cured meat while keeping the meat from burning. Guanciale is cured pork cheek and the cheeks, I’ve noticed, tend to yield more fat as you cook slowly compared to the pork belly (pancetta or bacon). The smaller you cut the pieces the faster the guanciale will crisp. Be mindful of stirring and consistently adjusting your heat as it cooks. We want crispy and cute porky pieces, not crispy and burnt porky pieces. If you can’t find guanciale, I will allow you to use pancetta. It won’t be the same, but I’ll let it slide only this time.

Strain all of that liquid gold pork fat and remove all crispy guanciale to a paper-towel-lined plate. Store your pork fat in the fridge covered for your next breakfast or delicious dinner and save your olive oil.

Next, you will start to build your tomato sauce. We will add our garlic and chili flakes to the pan, then deglaze with white wine. When it comes to this step, it can be as easy as using your grandma’s signature red sauce you keep in the freezer or store-bought. It’s all about how much time you have. Just remember when you add thick canned tomatoes to a hot pan, it will start to spit. Don’t forget your water.

To finish, you will toss your pasta, some guanciale fat, and grated Pecorino into your tomato sauce. This is the last slow, gentle process before serving, so turn your heat to low and don’t move from this pan. The cheese tends to sink to the bottom in any sauce, so being diligent in stirring is a crucial step to not burning your cheese. Render your heat from off and low as the aged pecorino slowly melts into the tomato sauce. This step pulls all the ingredients together.

You’re going to love this pasta. It WILL change the way you think about making your future tomato sauces and pasta dishes. Are you letting your pasta finish in the sauce, what type of meat will I add to give my tomato sauce more flavor? What cheese do I have on hand? These are the good thoughts I hope you take when making your next pasta.