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Donal Skehan
Pumped up Amatriciana | DonalSkehan.com
  • real-time-recipes

Pumped up Amatriciana

October 22

This is Amatriciana with attitude – smoky, spicy, and unapologetically rich. The red onions bring sweetness, the guanciale (or bacon) delivers deep, savoury punch, and that glossy butter finish takes it over the top. Don’t skip the pecorino blitz — its coarse texture clings to the pasta like a dream. Serve it straight from the pan, piping hot, with an extra shower of cheese and a crack of black pepper for maximum swagger.

  • serves Serves 4
  • time 30 mins

Method

  1. 1. First get the salted pasta water up to boil. Cook the pasta according to the instructions.
  2. 2. Peel the red onions and slice into wedges. Toss into a bowl with a glug of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper then place into a hot pan.
  3. 3. Chop the bacon into lardons and add to the onion and cook, stirring the lardons occasionally, until they are crispy.
  4. 4. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for about 30 seconds then add the tomato purée.
  5. 5. Blitz the pecorino in a mini food processor until coarse in texture then set aside.
  6. 6. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for about 30 seconds then add the tomato purée.
  7. 7. To help thicken the sauce, add a few tablespoons of the pasta water and let it cook.
  8. 8. Add the chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Once that’s combined nicely add a good knob of butter.
  9. 9. When the pasta is cooked, use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer the cooked pasta into the pot with the sauce. Stir vigorously to coat all the pasta in sauce, allowing everything to cook together for a few minutes. Add in half the pecorino and mix through.
  10. 10. Serve to the table in the pan, drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining pecorino then dig in.

Ingredients

2 red onions

6 slices thick-cut smoked bacon or about 6 oz guanciale

 1¼ cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 4.5 oz)

2 garlic cloves

 ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes

14 oz mezzi rigatoni (about ¾ lb)

2 tablespoons butter

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper → to taste

2 red onions

6 slices thick cut smoked streaky bacon or 175g guanciale

125 g pecorino romano

2 garlic cloves

Large pinch chilli flakes

2 tbsp tomato purée

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

400g mezzi rigatoni pasta

30g butter

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper