Bucatini all’ Amatriciana

Bucatini all’ Amatriciana

Bucatini all’ Amatriciana is a classic Roman dish and is simple but oh so delicious! You probably won’t find bucatini in your local supermarket but it is well worth tracking down. It is a thick spaghetti that is hollow in the middle. Try and get one that has been formed through a bronze die, which gives it a rough surface that absorbs the tomato sauce.

Traditionally this dish would use guanciale (cured pigs cheeks) or pancetta, which I have replaced with tempeh.

The other important ingredient is the tomato sauce which is  made by frying a finely chopped white onion and 4 finely chopped garlic cloves in some olive oil until soft. Then add a couple of 400g tins of chopped tomatoes a good few pinches of salt and simmer for 20-30 minutes until it is like a thick porridge.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

To assemble

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 red onion cut into medium thick slices

• 3 garlic clove finely chopped

• 1 tsp chilli flakes

• Tomato sauce

• 400g bucatini

• Finely chopped parsley 

• Plant based Parmesan

For the tempeh pancetta marinade

• 2 blocks of tempeh cut into 1 cm cubes

• 2 tbsp soy sauce 

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp ground black pepper

• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

METHOD

1. Combine the tempeh with all the marinade ingredients and leave for at least an hour to absorb all the flavours.

2. In a large frying pan over medium/high heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil, the tempeh and all its marinade. Cook, stirring regularly until it starts to brown and crisp up, then set aside and return the pan to the heat and reduce it to a low/medium heat.

3. Add another tbsp of olive oil to the pan and add the sliced onion and cook for a couple of minutes. After a couple of minutes, add the garlic and chill flakes and cook for a couple of minutes. Return the tempeh to the pan and add the tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer, taste to season, then keep on a low heat while you cook the pasta.

4. Heat up a large pan of salted water (15g salt per litre) and bring to a boil. Add the bucatini and cook to the packet instructions. Drain the bucatini, saving a cup full of the cooking water.

5. Add the pasta to the sauce, adding a little of the cooking water to loosen the sauce. Stir for a minute, allowing the bucatini to soak up the sauce.

6. Serve topped with the parsley, plant based Parmesan and a good twist of back pepper.