Rigatoni Amatriciana

Drescription

Created by chef Fabio Viviani of Siena Tavern in Chicago, this Amatriciana sauce is a classic of modern Roman cooking (though it most likely came from the town of Amatrice about 90 miles away). Typically, it's made with few ingredients: garlic, guanciale (cured pork jowl), cheese and tomato. This version doctors up jarred sauce to keep it quick and calls for easy-to-find pancetta in place of the guanciale. This tomato sauce is sometimes paired with bucatini; here, Fabio dresses up rigatoni with it.

Ingredients

• 6 plum tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 ounces pancetta, diced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 2 serrano peppers, seeded and minced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups prepared marinara sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 pound whole-wheat rigatoni pasta
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 15 leaves fresh basil, torn
• 1 tablespoon grated or shredded parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Toss tomatoes with oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast the tomatoes, shaking the pan halfway through, until blistered, 15 to 17 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel the tomatoes and chop coarsely.
3. Meanwhile, put a large pot of water on to boil.
4. Cook pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add onion and serranos to the pan, increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add marinara sauce and the roasted tomatoes and bring to a boil. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
5. While the sauce simmers, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to the pot. Add the sauce, parsley and basil; toss to coat. Serve with Parmesan, if desired.