Bucatini All'Amatriciana

[indaswamp]

I am getting ready to overhaul my big Salumi drying chamber. So I have been going through the remaining pieces still in the chamber and either transferring them to my old chamber for the time being, or processing/vac sealing to store in the fridge. Still had 1 pork cheek hanging....Hmmm...time for some pasta!

Guanciale from the chamber...

I cleaned the surface of mold then cut a 3-350gram chunk off, removed the rind then julienne sliced...

In a 14" pan with a splash of olive oil on low heat to render fat/crisp the cheek bacon...

Simmered for 15 minutes, then deglazed with 1/4 cup white wine. Removed the bacon and set aside.

Add the crushed tomatoes to the deglazed pan. Simmer on low 20-25 minutes...

Meanwhile, heat the pasta water. when the timer is at 10 minutes, drop in the bucatini pasta..

With 4 minutes left on the timer, add the cheek bacon back to the pan. stir in. then add calabrian pepper, freshly ground black pepper...

and Pecorino Romano cheese...

Stir in on low heat to incorporate the cheese...

Drain pasta, stir sauce into pasta and lets EAT! With more grated Pecorino Romano on top (not optional! LOL!)

 

[indaswamp]

That guanciale is aged over a year. Very intense funky notes-even with the surface mold scraped off and removed with vinegar. Simple dish with few high quality ingredients...explosion of flavor!!!

The original dish does not use any herbs, garlic or onion. So that is how I made it.

Also, very important...do not drain off the fat!

https://pinabresciani.com/pasta-amatriciana/

 

[JLeonard]

Man that is bowl calling my name right there! Looks mighty good.

Jim

 

[gmc2003]

I may not be able to pronounce what your cooking, but it sure looks fantastic.

Point for sure
Chris

 

[indaswamp]

Man that is bowl calling my name right there! Looks mighty good.

Jim

Thanks JLeonard!

I may not be able to pronounce what your cooking, but it sure looks fantastic.

Point for sure
Chris

Thanks gmc2003! It was good. Leftovers for lunch today...

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Looks good. Keith I don't know how you find the motivation and time to do all the stuff you do! I sure would like to catch a Red Fish with you! My boat going to south Texas tomorrow. Getting to be more like work than fun. I will just go with guides now.

 

[mr_whipple]

I'm digging the guanciale. I've been eyeballing that or pancetta as one of the next projects.

 

[tx smoker]

Well Keith, you done went and done it again buddy. That is nothing short of spectacular. One can only guess how amazing that bacon was. Very nice job!!

Robert

 

[OldSmoke]

Funny thing, that’s exactly what I am cooking this Sunday for my daughter when she visits from San Francisco! I found some Guanciale which is hard to find.

What wine are you pairing with if any?

 

[indaswamp]

OldSmoke Soave Classico or Chenin Blanc would pair well...for whites.

 

[indaswamp]

Looks good. Keith I don't know how you find the motivation and time to do all the stuff you do! I sure would like to catch a Red Fish with you! My boat going to south Texas tomorrow. Getting to be more like work than fun. I will just go with guides now.

Thanks Brian. Work Hard/Play Hard my friend...

I'll be working on the boat next week. Got to change the o-ring out in the tilt/trim and the jack plate. Will pull them off and bring them to a guy to change. He is set up to do it.

 

[indaswamp]

I'm digging the guanciale. I've been eyeballing that or pancetta as one of the next projects.

guanciale is a very easy project. You could probably fond a pig head at a local butcher that cuts primals from half pigs on site. Can be had for a very reasonable price...and you get 2 cheeks off one head. just be sure you trim all the saliva gland off.

 

[indaswamp]

Well Keith, you done went and done it again buddy. That is nothing short of spectacular. One can only guess how amazing that bacon was. Very nice job!!

Robert

Thank you my friend. I enjoyed it.

 

[indaswamp]

OldSmoke -for red wines (which I prefer) I would go with a Sangiovese wine....Tuscana, Chianti, Brunello (if you go big) but my go to would be a Vino Nobile di Montepluciano. It is reasonably priced and does not get the attention Brunello has, but it IMO it is not that far behind it. There is a reason it has a reputation for being "the wine of kings and nobles"...it was also Benjamin Franklin's favorite wine.

 

[mr_whipple]

guanciale is a very easy project. You could probably fond a pig head at a local butcher that cuts primals from half pigs on site. Can be had for a very reasonable price...and you get 2 cheeks off one head. just be sure you trim all the saliva gland off.

I'll check the shop around the corner as the only other place I've seen pig heads is the large Asian market and to say the least it's a wee bit sketchy.

 

[jcam222]

Looks fantastic! Those Calabrian peppers can be pretty spicy!

 

[indaswamp]

I'll check the shop around the corner as the only other place I've seen pig heads is the large Asian market and to say the least it's a wee bit sketchy.

Just make sure it is super fresh. See if you can find out the next time they will be butchering sides so you can go that afternoon to buy a fresh head.

 

[indaswamp]

Looks fantastic! Those Calabrian peppers can be pretty spicy!

Thanks jcam222! Indeed they can be spicy, but I love the fruity sweet flavor of calabrian peppers.

 

[OldSmoke]

OldSmoke -for red wines (which I prefer) I would go with a Sangiovese wine....Tuscana, Chianti, Brunello (if you go big) but my go to would be a Vino Nobile di Montepluciano. It is reasonably priced and does not get the attention Brunello has, but it IMO it is not that far behind it. There is a reason it has a reputation for being "the wine of kings and nobles"...it was also Benjamin Franklin's favorite wine.

I chose a Brunello di Montalcino. This is not a wimpy pasta and needs a bold wine to show it who is boss.

The dinner was great! I started with crostini and Rose on the patio, followed by the Amatriciana and salads. I said it would be served at 6, I was eight minutes early! My pasta starved daughter loved it!

This sauce is very simple. The trick is getting great flavor out of it without using a lot of extra ingredients. It is tempting. Too many ingredients and you end up with pizza sauce. This is where the Guanciale is the star.

 

[indaswamp]

Sounds like you nailed it! Brunello!!! Awesome!!!