Pasta Amatriciana 

Pasta amatriciana is a traditional Italian dish that features a sauce of guanciale (salt-cured pork jowl), tomato, pecorino romano and chiles. Some variations include onion and white wine. The final product tastes much more complex than the ingredient list would suggest: This simple pantry meal delivers deep flavors, as the bright, tangy tomato base balances the rich pork, and a mix of dried peppers adds layers of subtle heat. Guanciale can be found in Italian specialty shops or online, but pancetta is a good alternative. Bucatini is a thicker pasta with a hollow center that captures the thick sauce, but spaghetti delivers equally tasty results.

Ingredients

• 2

  tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 4

  ounces guanciale or pancetta, chopped into ¼-inch cubes (3/4 cup)

• 1

  (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed with your hands in a bowl

• ⅛

  teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

• ⅛

  teaspoon red-pepper flakes

• Kosher salt

• 1

  pound dried bucatini 

• ¾

  cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for garnish

Preparation

1. In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add guanciale and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. To the skillet, add tomatoes, black pepper and red-pepper flakes, and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and smashing tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon, until tomatoes have broken down and sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to package directions until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain.
3. Add pasta, tomato sauce and ½ cup of pasta cooking water back to the large pasta pot and stir vigorously over medium-high heat until pasta is evenly coated in the sauce, about 1 minute. (Add more pasta water if sauce is dry.) Remove from heat, stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt.
4. Divide pasta among bowls and garnish with more cheese and black pepper.