Farmers' Market Recipe: Pasta all'Amatriciana

And there was much rejoicing! This week, you can purchase an item called guanciale (GWAN-CHEE-ALL-EY), or cured pork jowl—which is somewhat similar to bacon—from Triple S Farm, and then you can make this ancient Italian pasta dish in your very own kitchen.

Cured pork jowl is extremely difficult to find, even in Italy, so we're lucky as heck that not only can we get it, but it's produced by one of our own local farmers! If you're interested in learning a bit more about guanciale and the pasta dishes that are made with it, check out Mark Bittman's fascinating article in The New York Times.

You may remember that I made this dish back in March of this year. It was absolutely fantastic, and in my opinion, the cured jowl is really essential; it has a much different flavor and texture than pancetta or regular bacon does.

If you want to use the traditional bucatini pasta, you can buy it at World Harvest International Market on University Avenue. That's the only store in town where I've found it. Bucatini is like spaghetti, only it's hollow in the middle, so the sauce gets inside the pasta . . . mmm. It became my favorite pasta shape after I found it last spring.

Pasta all'Amatriciana
Recipe courtesy Alisa DeMarco

2 tablespoons high-quality olive oil
8 ounces Triple S Farm jowl bacon, sliced thin into small, flat squares
1 medium red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 small fresh red chili or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cups chopped organic Blue Moon Farm heirloom tomatoes, such as Cosmonaut Volkov

1 pound of your favorite Pasta Alley noodles, or spaghetti, or orecchiette

1 wedge of Prairie Fruits Farm Aeolian Dust or ricotta cheese

Place a wide sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and jowl bacon and cook to render its fat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. When the bacon begins to color after several minutes, add the onion and garlic. Continue cooking over medium-high heat, stirring to develop even browning. After a few minutes, the bacon will crisp and a brown residue, referred to as the fond by cheffy types, will begin to form on the bottom of the pan.

At this point add the tomato paste, chili, and chopped tomatoes with their juices. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up the fond. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and turns brick red. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss over medium heat until the pasta is coated well, adding small amounts of the cooking water as needed to form a nice, silky sauce.

Serve the pasta topped with cheese and chopped fresh herbs if desired.
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If you try this pasta, let me know how you liked it. I thought it was out of this world; really extra-special—and quick and easy, to boot.

For Mario Batali fans, here's the Babbo Restaurant recipe for pasta all'Amatriciana. Note that Mr. Batali uses three-quarters of a pound of guanciale in his version, compared to the quarter-pound called for in the NYT recipe and the half-pound that I used when I made it and which is called for in Chef Alisa's recipe. Mario's always over the top, isn't he? Still—I could definitely see going for it and using the larger amount of jowl bacon in this dish.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Stan of Triple S for giving us the opportunity to enjoy cured jowl here in Central Illinois. Buon appetito!

Where to find all this stuff at the Urbana Farmers' Market:

• Triple S: South side, along Illinois Street
• Blue Moon: West side (first row)
• Prairie Fruits: east side (fourth row)
• Pasta Alley: East side (fourth row)