Created by chef Fabio Viviani of Siena Tavern in Chicago, this Amatriciana sauce is a classic of modern Roman cooking (though it most likely came from the town of Amatrice about 90 miles away). Typically, it's made with few ingredients: garlic, guanciale (cured pork jowl), cheese and tomato. This version doctors up jarred sauce to keep it quick and calls for easy-to-find pancetta in place of the guanciale. This tomato sauce is sometimes paired with bucatini; here, Fabio dresses up rigatoni with it.
Ingredients
- 6 plum tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 4 ounces pancetta, diced
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 2 serrano peppers, seeded and minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups prepared marinara sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 pound whole-wheat rigatoni pasta
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 15 leaves fresh basil, torn
- 1 tablespoon grated or shredded parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Toss tomatoes with oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast the tomatoes, shaking the pan halfway through, until blistered, 15 to 17 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel the tomatoes and chop coarsely.
- Meanwhile, put a large pot of water on to boil.
- Cook pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add onion and serranos to the pan, increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add marinara sauce and the roasted tomatoes and bring to a boil. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
- While the sauce simmers, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to the pot. Add the sauce, parsley and basil; toss to coat. Serve with Parmesan, if desired.