fusilli all'amatriciana

We celebrated another birthday in this shelter-in-place. Ryan's birthday was yesterday. I asked him if he wanted a unicorn princess birthday party like Bella but he declined. His only request for his birthday was his favorite meal- Fusilli all'Amatriciana. So, I made sure I had all the ingredients I needed in order to make his wish come true. I also made his favorite butter toffee cookies. A lot of butter toffee cookies. But, I will save those for another post.

When Ryan and I first started dating, he requested Fusilli all'Amatriciana. To be honest, I had no clue what it was so I had to do some research. It sounds super fancy but, surprisingly, it is actually not difficult to make. It has all good things like pancetta, garlic, red onion, and lots of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Although, Ryan will argue that the most important part of the dish is the fusilli pasta. It has to be fusilli, because it is the most fun shape pasta to eat. 

Fusilli all'Amatriciana

Serves about 4 

INGREIDENTS

1 lb fusilli pasta

12 oz pancetta (guanciale or bacon), diced 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 red onion, sliced into half moons

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

32 oz of basic tomato sauce (I like Rao's Homemade)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for topping

fresh parsley, optional for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 Tbsp salt. Cook the fusilli, subtracting a couple minutes from cook time on package. Reserve at least 1 1/2 cups pasta water. Drain pasta and set aside.

2. In same large pot, on medium heat, cook pancetta until most of the fat is rendered- about 10 to 12 minutes. Spoon pancetta onto plate or bowl lined with paper towel. Discard the remaining fat in the pot, but do not wipe clean.

3. Place pot back onto stovetop on medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil and sliced red onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Stirring frequently, cook until onions have softened. Add tomato sauce to the pot. Allow tomato sauce to come to a boil and then turn heat down to low so that it can continue to simmer. Taste sauce- add salt or more crushed red pepper flakes to taste. Simmer for 6 to 7 minutes.

4. Add cooked pasta to the pot and stir gently to combine until pasta is completely coated. Add a couple large ladles of reserved pasta water to bring it all together Stir gently to incorporate well. Mix in Parmigiano Reggiano. Add more pasta water if necessary. Turn off the heat once everything is cohesively warmed through.

5. Serve hot. Top with extra Parmigiano Reggiano and parsley if desired. 

6. Store leftovers in airtight container in the refrigerator. 

I have made this a few different ways over the years, but this way is our favorite.

WHAT MATTERS: I get the pancetta from the deli counter at that grocery store. I have used pre-diced pancetta in the packages in the past. However, some brands dice it so fine and small which is not really to our liking, because after cooking they look like little crumbs. When I get it from the deli counter, I ask for the thickest slice they do. Then while prepping, I dice into about 1/2 inch pieces. Once the fat renders down, They end up slightly smaller, but still a hearty chunkier cut. If available, it is definitely worth getting the freshly sliced pancetta from the deli counter and doing a quick dice at home. Secondly, the cheese. Freshly grated Parmiginao Regianno is the best. You can get a wedge of parmesan, also. However, Parmigiano Reggiano is the real deal cheese while anything just labeled "parmesan" may be imitation. You do not need a lot of it for this recipe, so it is worth investing in the real thing. Traditionally, an all'amatriciana sauce uses pecorino cheese, but we like the taste of Parmigiano Reggiano more, so this is our version. You could also use good quality pecorino cheese if you like. 

WHAT DOESN'T MATTER: The shape of the pasta does not matter [to anyone but Ryan]. Again, I only make this with fusilli pasta because it is Ryan's favorite shape and also his favorite dish. You could definitely substitute any other pasta shape for this recipe. We use pancetta always now for this recipe. I recall using guanciale the very first time, but it is really difficult to find around here. As far as taste, you will get a similar result with guanciale, pancetta, or bacon. They all some from the same animal and they are all fatty and will provide a nice meaty, smoky flavor to the dish. In terms of the cooking process, you can prepare the sauce in a separate saute pan while the pasta is cooking, which I have also done before. If you can time it so that the sauce is ready by the time the pasta is ready, you can transfer the pasta directly into the sauce pan. It works fine but I find my saute pan just fits the 1lb of pasta. Doing it all in the larger pot gives me more room to stir and incorporate everything easier. I wrote the recipe this way because it seems easier to use less cooking equipment- less cleanup and less to manage all at once. But if you like to multi-task, go for it. Just make sure not to overcook the pasta. 

I reserve this meal for special occasions only. Ryan has loved this pasta dish since the very first time I made it for him. If it were up to him, I would be making this every week. You certainly could. But I think part of the reason it remains so special and so beloved is because it only makes an appearance a few times a year. So, I'm going to keep it that way.