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Italy, Europe · Amatriciana

Amatriciana Jam Grilled Cheese

Tomato and chili cooked down to a jam in guanciale fat, sandwiched with pecorino and mozzarella between buttery sourdough and griddled golden.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time27 min
DifficultyEasy

Method

  1. Cut the guanciale into 0.5 cm dice. Put it in a 20 cm frying pan, turn the heat on to medium heat and cook for , until the fat has melted out and the pieces are crisp.

    Add in this stepGuanciale (or pancetta) 60 g

    medium heat

  2. Add the chili flakes for 10 seconds, then the hand-crushed tomatoes, sugar and vinegar, and cook over medium heat for , stirring often, until thick and jammy: a spatula drawn across the base should leave a trail for a moment. Scrape it into a bowl, cool for 5 minutes and wipe out the pan with kitchen paper.

    Add in this stepChili flakes (peperoncino) 1 pinchCanned whole peeled tomatoes 200 gSugar 2 tspRed wine vinegar 1 tsp

    medium heat

  3. Finely grate the pecorino and mix it with the mozzarella and pepper. Spread the butter thinly on one side of each slice of bread.

    Add in this stepPecorino Romano 30 gLow-moisture mozzarella, shredded 80 gFreshly ground black pepper to tasteSourdough bread (1 cm slices) 4Soft butter at room temperature 20 g

  4. Lay half the slices buttered side down. Top the unbuttered side with half the cheese, the amatriciana jam and the rest of the cheese, then cover with the remaining slices, buttered side up. Leave a 1 cm border without jam or it will ooze out as it cooks.

  5. Heat a 26 cm frying pan over medium-low heat, add the sandwiches and cook covered with a lid for . When the underside is deep golden, flip carefully with a spatula and cook uncovered for more, until the cheese is melted and about to ooze. Cook in batches if needed.

    medium-low heat

  6. Rest on a board for 1 minute, then cut diagonally and serve warm. Cut straight away and all the cheese runs out.

Cook's tip

On high heat the bread burns before the cheese melts, so keep it medium-low. The amatriciana jam keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge, making this a quick breakfast. Guanciale and pecorino are salty, so no salt is added.

Cooking it at camp

Make the jam at home and bring it in a sealed tub, so at the campsite you just assemble and toast. Use a cast-iron pan on the burner or a toastie iron; over a grill, cook at the edge where the coals have burned down to white ash and flip often.