Amatriciana

Method

1. Trim the hard rind and peppery crust off the guanciale and cut it into strips about 1 cm wide and 0.5 cm thick. Crush the tomatoes by hand in a bowl, grate the pecorino finely and break the chili in half.

2. Fill a 20 cm pot with the water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat, about 12 min. Add the salt once it boils. The guanciale and cheese are salty, so the sauce itself needs almost none.

   Add in this stepWater for the pasta 2½ LCoarse salt (for the pasta water) 18 g

   high heat

3. Put the olive oil, guanciale and chili in a 26 cm frying pan, then turn the heat on to medium heat and cook for 7 min. Starting in a cold pan lets the fat melt out slowly. When the fat is translucent and the edges are golden and crisp, lift the guanciale out with a slotted spoon onto a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.

   Add in this stepExtra virgin olive oil 1 tbspGuanciale (cured pork cheek) 80 gDried red chili (peperoncino) 1

   medium heat

4. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat, pour in the wine and scrape up the tasty browned bits with a spatula; let it bubble for 1 min until the alcohol smell has gone.

   Add in this stepDry white wine 40 ml

   medium-high heat

5. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer over medium heat for 10 min, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick and red-tinged fat pools at the edges. Taste and add a little salt only if it needs it.

   Add in this stepCanned whole peeled tomatoes 300 g

   medium heat

6. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water, stir for the first minute so it doesn't stick and cook for 9 min, about 1 minute less than the packet says, so it is still slightly firm at the centre. Scoop out a cup of pasta water before draining.

   Add in this stepSpaghetti (or bucatini) 200 g

7. Use tongs to move the spaghetti straight into the sauce, add the reserved guanciale and a splash of pasta water and toss over medium-high heat for 1 min, until the sauce coats the pasta glossily. Turn off the heat, wait 30 seconds, then add the pecorino and toss quickly. Added over high heat, the cheese turns stringy and clumps.

   Add in this stepPecorino Romano 35 g

   medium-high heat

8. Plate it, scatter over the remaining pecorino and plenty of black pepper and serve straight away.

   Add in this stepPecorino Romano 15 gFreshly ground black pepper to taste