Chiara only recently became a Nonna to granddaughter Elisa. She also happens to be my mother-in-law and seems to be able to whip up a tasty meal (antipasti, primo and secondo) at a moment’s notice. Perhaps it’s the Italian Nonna’s way. Despite Chiara’s aversion to all things green, I still love what she puts on the table. She cooks the way she dresses, with flare, confidence and ease.
This Spaghetti all’Amatriciana is an easy one that Nonna Chiara has learned to rustle up on the quick. When she was working in Milan as a fashion stylist, she was always very busy and needed a go-to dinner that came together with little fuss and effort but yielded maximum results. She insists that you ALWAYS use Guanciale and never EVER break the spaghetti into the pot of boiling water. Her preferred brand is Rummo but she says “anything is better than Barilla.”
Ingredients
(serves 4)
1 small red onion
100g Guanciale
1tbsp Olive Oil
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 dried chilli pepper / 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes
Half a tsp of sugar
Pink of sea salt
1tbsp Pecorino Cheese (grated)
Method
Prepare your pasta pot - fill it 3 quarters of the way up with water and bring that water to the boil with a Tbsp of salt
Chop the onion finely and sizzle on a medium heat in the olive oil
Add the guanciale and fry until brown
Give the onion and guanciale a stir so that they don’t stick to the pan and burn
Add your dried chill at this stage - you can choose to leave it whole or chop it up with the seeds (seeds will make it spicier so be warned!)
Once you can see the guanciale has browned off, add the chopped tomatoes
Add half a tsp of sugar and a pinch of salt
Let your sauce bubble away and in this time, add your spaghetti to your pot of water, cooking exactly to the recommended time on the packet (Nonna Chiara checks hers by tasting it periodically)
Once your sauce has cooked down to a thick sugo, turn it off
Drain your pasta once its ready, add it back to the larger pot then mix in your tomato sugo
Finally, add your grating of pecorino and mix will
Chiara serves hers with a Merlot from Marche