Perfect Amatriciana: The Original Recipe

The Sauce that Made a Village Famous

Amatriciana is the most iconic sauce of Lazio cuisine, born in Amatrice and UNESCO heritage of Italian cooking. A simple but rigorous dish: only 5 ingredients, but each must be perfect.

History of Amatriciana

Born in the 18th century as "gricia pasta with tomato," Amatriciana is the evolution of Gricia (without tomato) after tomatoes arrived from America. Amatrice shepherds carried guanciale, pecorino and dry pasta to pastures. With the addition of tomato, the recipe we know was born.

UNESCO Heritage: In 2020 Amatriciana was recognized as Traditional Agri-food Product (PAT) by Lazio Region.

Ingredients (4 people)

Essential

• ✅ Pasta: Bucatini 400g (traditional) or Rigatoni
• ✅ Guanciale Amatriciano IGP: 200g LAPA
• ✅ San Marzano Tomatoes PDO: 500g peeled (or 400g passata)
• ✅ Pecorino Romano PDO: 80g grated LAPA
• ✅ White wine: 50ml (optional but recommended)
• ✅ Chili pepper: 1 hot (optional)
• ✅ Salt: to taste

Forbidden in Traditional Recipe

• ❌ Onion (NEVER! It's the eternal debate)
• ❌ Garlic
• ❌ Olive oil (only guanciale fat is used)
• ❌ Parmigiano
• ❌ Basil, parsley, other herbs
• ❌ Industrial passata (better crushed peeled)

Step-by-Step Recipe

1. Prepare Guanciale

Perfect cut:

• Remove rind (optional: some keep it)
• Cut into strips 5mm x 5mm x 2cm
• NO small cubes (they burn)
• NO dice (don't release fat)

Perfect cut:

2. Brown Guanciale

Procedure:

• Wide non-stick pan COLD
• Add guanciale (NO oil!)
• MEDIUM-LOW heat
• Brown 8-10 minutes stirring
• Must become: Golden, crispy, transparent at edges

Why this cut?

Perfect timing:

• 5-6 min = Too little (rubbery, white)
• 8-10 min = PERFECT (golden, crispy)
• 12+ min = Too much (dark, bitter)

3. Deglaze with White Wine (Optional)

Trick:

If using wine:

• Crispy guanciale reached
• Pour 50ml dry white wine
• Raise flame
• Evaporate alcohol (30-60 seconds)
• Lower flame

Debate:

4. Add Tomato

Option A: Peeled (Recommended)

• Crush 500g San Marzano peeled with fork
• Add to pan with guanciale
• Mix well
• Salt to taste (little! Pecorino is savory)
• Chili pepper if desired

Option B: Passata

• 400g San Marzano passata
• More liquid = more cooking time

Option A: Peeled (Recommended)

5. Cook Sauce

Cooking:

• MEDIUM-LOW heat
• Simmer 15-20 minutes
• Stir every 3-4 minutes
• Goal: Thick sauce, not watery

Option B: Passata

Adjustment:

• Too thick? Add pasta water (50ml)
• Too liquid? Cook 5 more min medium heat

6. Cook Pasta

Perfect timing:

• Bring 4 liters water to boil
• Salt: 40g (10g/liter)
• Drop pasta when sauce is ready
• Bucatini: 10-11 min (2 min before al dente)
• Rigatoni: 9-10 min

Adjustment:

7. Mantecatura (Fundamental!)

Procedure:

• Drain pasta (keep water!)
• Pour into pan with sauce
• MEDIUM heat
• Mantecate 1-2 minutes stirring
• Add pasta water if needed (little at a time)
• Add half Pecorino (40g)
• Mix vigorously
• Turn off heat

Procedure:

8. Plate

• Pour amatriciana onto hot plate
• Sprinkle remaining Pecorino Romano (40g)
• Grind black pepper (optional, not traditional)
• Serve immediately

The Big Question: Onion Yes or No?

❌ NO Onion (Amatrice Version)

Serve immediately

Reason:

• Original pastoral recipe: guanciale, pecorino, tomato
• Onion covers guanciale flavor
• Century-old tradition without onion

✅ YES Onion (Rome Version)

Municipality of Amatrice

Reason:

• Sweetens sauce
• Balances tomato acidity
• Roman tradition (not from Amatrice)

Compromise

Light sauté:

• 1/4 white onion finely chopped
• Sauté in little guanciale fat 3-4 min
• Add guanciale, continue recipe

Reason:

Common Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

❌ Mistake #1: Burnt Guanciale

Note:

❌ Mistake #2: Watery Sauce

Note:

❌ Mistake #3: Dry Pasta

Cause:

❌ Mistake #4: Too Salty

Cause:

❌ Mistake #5: Rubbery Guanciale

Cause:

Acceptable Variations

White Amatriciana (Gricia)

Solution:

Baked Amatriciana

• Prepare classic amatriciana
• Pour into baking dish
• Sprinkle extra Pecorino + breadcrumbs
• Gratinate 10 min oven 200°C
• Result: Crispy surface, creamy interior

Vegetarian Amatriciana

Guanciale substitutes:

• Smoked eggplant cubes
• Rehydrated dried porcini mushrooms
• Crispy zucchini

Result:

Wine Pairings

Reds (Recommended)

• 🍷 Cesanese del Piglio DOCG - Traditional Lazio, medium body
• 🍷 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Near Amatrice, robust
• 🍷 Sangiovese di Romagna - Fresh, right tannin
• 🍷 Chianti Classico - Acidity balances tomato
• 🍷 Nero d'Avola - Structure, fruity

Whites (Alternatives)

• 🍷 Frascati Superiore DOCG - If delicate amatriciana
• 🍷 Pecorino (grape) Abruzzo - Appropriate name!

Chianti Classico

FAQ Amatriciana

Difference between Amatriciana, Carbonara and Gricia?

Frascati Superiore DOCG

In summary:

• Gricia = BASE
• Amatriciana = Gricia + Tomato
• Carbonara = Gricia + Eggs

Bucatini or Rigatoni?

Gricia:

Why bucatini?

• Internal hole holds sauce
• Perfect consistency
• Centuries-old tradition

Acceptable alternatives:

• Rigatoni (ridges hold sauce)
• Mezze maniche
• Spaghetti (less traditional)

AVOID:

• Smooth penne
• Fusilli (not traditional)
• Fresh pasta (too delicate)

Can I prepare sauce in advance?

Acceptable alternatives:

Procedure:

• Prepare complete sauce
• Cool and store
• Refrigerator: 3-4 days
• Freezer: 3 months
• Reheat when needed
• Cook fresh pasta
• Mantecate and serve

YES!

How much guanciale per person?

Standard formula: 50g/person

Adjustment:

• Light: 40g/person (160g for 4)
• Medium: 50g/person (200g for 4) ✅ RECOMMENDED
• Rich: 60-70g/person (240-280g for 4)

Advantage:

Better peeled or passata?

SAN MARZANO PDO PEELED (hand-crushed)

Why:

• Better consistency
• Less watery
• More intense flavor
• Control of chunk size

Note:

AVOID:

• Economy pulp
• Sweetened industrial passata
• Fresh tomatoes (too watery)

LAPA Products for Perfect Amatriciana

Guanciale Amatriciano IGP LAPA

• ✅ IGP Certification (Protected Geographical Indication)
• ✅ Production Amatrice/Lazio (origin area)
• ✅ Aging 45-60 days (vs 30 industrial)
• ✅ Lean/fat ratio 30/70 ideal
• ✅ Vacuum-sealed (6-12 months storage fridge)
• ✅ Formats: 500g (€21), 1kg (€40), 1.5kg (€58)

Difference vs normal guanciale:

• More intense flavor
• Perfect consistency
• Traceability certification
• Artisanal production

Lean/fat ratio 30/70

Pecorino Romano PDO LAPA

• ✅ PDO Certification Consortium
• ✅ Aging 8-10 months (vs 5 minimum PDO)
• ✅ 100% sheep milk Lazio/Sardinia
• ✅ Freshly grated available (convenient!)
• ✅ Formats: 250g (€4.50), 500g (€8.50), 1kg (€16), 2kg (€30)

PDO Certification

• More savory (less salt in sauce)
• Traditional (authentic recipe)
• Melts better (creamy mantecatura)

San Marzano Tomatoes PDO LAPA

• ✅ PDO Certification (Agro Sarnese-Nocerino)
• ✅ San Marzano 2 variety original
• ✅ Hand-picked (no machines)
• ✅ Whole peeled in can (no BPA)
• ✅ Formats: 400g (€2.20), 800g (€4), 2.5kg (€9)

Difference vs normal tomatoes:

• Less watery (80% vs 90%+ others)
• Naturally sweeter
• Less acidic (no added sugar needed)
• Perfect consistency

Amatriciana Kit LAPA

Complete Kit (4 people):

• Guanciale Amatriciano IGP 200g
• Pecorino Romano PDO 100g
• San Marzano Peeled PDO 500g
• Bucatini Gragnano IGP 500g

Difference vs normal tomatoes:

📧 [email protected] | 📞 +41 XX XXX XX XX | 🌐 www.lapa.ch/kit-amatriciana

Conclusion: Amatriciana is Passion

Perfect Amatriciana is a delicate balance: crispy but soft guanciale, thick but creamy sauce, savory but not overpowering Pecorino. Every ingredient must be supreme quality, because with only 5 elements, there's nowhere to hide.

3 final secrets:

• IGP Guanciale: LAPA Amatriciano (no compromises!)
• PDO Tomato: Real San Marzano (no imitations!)
• Mantecatura: 2 full minutes with pasta water (no dry pasta!)

with LAPA ingredients and you'll serve an amatriciana your customers will remember forever.

Buona Amatriciana!

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• Guanciale Amatriciano IGP: La Guida Completa
• Carbonara Perfetta: Ricetta Autentica Romana
• Gricia: La Madre di Tutte le Ricette Romane
• You Need to Know Tags: `amatriciana` `recipes` `lazio-cuisine` `guanciale`

Buona Amatriciana!