Rigatoni All'amatriciana

It's Italian night here at Chez Jenn's. Then again, if we're being honest, just about any night could qualify as Italian night in my house. Italian food is one of my favorite comfort cuisines, and tonight's menu featured a classic Roman dish: All'Amatriciana (pronounced ah-mah-tree-CHAH-nah).

Before making it, I had to do a little homework on exactly what Amatriciana is. According to my internet deep dive, "Bucatini all'Amatriciana is one of Rome's most iconic pasta dishes. It originated in the town of Amatrice in Italy's Lazio region and is traditionally made with a simple but incredibly flavorful sauce featuring cured pork, tomatoes, and Pecorino Romano cheese."

What I wish I had known before my grocery trip is that it's traditionally served with bucatini pasta. Had I known that, I absolutely would have bought bucatini instead of rigatoni because I love those thick, hollow noodles. Lesson learned for next time.

The good news? This was still a delicious dinner.

I only made one intentional change to the recipe—and it happened because I once again failed to read the entire recipe before starting. (Someday I'll learn.) Out of habit, I added a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Nearly every tomato-based dish I make gets a little Italian seasoning, so I didn't even think twice about it.

Actually, that's not entirely true. I made one more adjustment. After tasting the finished sauce, I noticed a slightly metallic flavor, which is usually my cue that the tomatoes are a bit too acidic. A spoonful of sugar balanced everything beautifully and mellowed the sauce right out.

And that brings me to one of my favorite cooking philosophies: recipes are guidelines, not laws. Sometimes the changes I make aren't just personal preferences—they're corrections for what my taste buds are telling me. If a recipe doesn't quite taste right to you, don't be afraid to adjust it. Add a little seasoning, cut the acidity, increase the spice level, whatever makes the dish work for you.

After all, you're the cook. Your kitchen, your rules.

Rigatoni All'amatriciana

Recipe from Keeping It Simple Italian

Serves 4

• 1 pound Rigatoni
• 28 ounces Canned plum tomatoes
• 6 ounces Guanciale diced
• ½ cup Pecorino Romano divided
• ¼ cup Dry white wine
• ¼ cup Onion finely diced
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt plus more to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

In a medium sauce pan, add olive oil and guanciale and cook until crisp.

Now add onion and salt and cook until the onion is translucent.

Add white wine and mix well making sure to scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Add tomatoes and gently press them down to break them up and stir well.

Reduce heat to low and cover to simmer.

When the pasta water is boiling, add the rigatoni and cook until al dente.

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Wen ready, drain pasta and add it to the sauce.

Toss well.

Add ½ of the Romano cheese and toss again.

Serve immediately with the remaining Romano cheese on the side for topping.