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In this collaboration post with Cosmic Cookware, I am using their latest Cosmo Fry to make Spaghetti all’Amatriciana. The Amatriciana is a well known traditional tomato based pasta sauce made with guanciale (cured pork cheek or jowl), Pecorino Romano cheese, tomatoes and in some variations, white wine and onion. This delicious sauce originates from the town of Amatrice and the Italian government named it a Traditional Specialty guaranteed in the EU.

Update to this post: They have just released the new Pink Berry which is super cute and pretty, do check it out!

I read that the pasta all’Amatriciana was the main meal of the shepherds working in Amatrice and over the decades, the ingredients that went into it evolved to what it is today. Even in today’s time there are many variations, some with onion, some with olive oil, some with white wine and many more. The recipe then became famous in Rome over the 19th and the 20th centuries and is now considered a classic Roman cuisine made commonly with bucatini (a type of thick spaghetti that is hollow in the centre), even thou it originated from Amatrice.

Amatrice was a place I always remembered as it was during my first trip to Italy in August 2016 that the devastating magnitude 6.2 earthquake happened and the town Amatrice was badly hit, with hundreds killed and injured. The aftershock can be felt as far as Rome, where I was back then. In 2020, I had a chance to visit Amatrice during the winter time of 2020. Many parts of the town is still showing signs of the earthquake, buildings have reinforcement bars installed and those that are not inhabitable are fenced up and closed up. See this video that I took driving through the town.

Spaghetti all’Amatriciana is also quite special to me, as that was the first pasta dish my partner cooked for me, and I was sold – both on the past and on him. LOL. Making it is really simple. Perhaps the most tricky part is to get that guanciale. In Singapore where I stayed, it’s almost impossible to find it. Guanciale is cured pork jowl or pork cheek cured in a mixture of salt and spices, and it’s a specialty of central Italy. While its closest substitute, the pancetta comes from the belly of the pig and it’s cured in salt brine then seasoned with spices and herbs.

If the guanciale is not available, you can use pancetta, or any other cured meat you can find. Personally I preferred the guanciale more than the pancetta, it has a unique flavour. When rendered in low heat, the oil that separates has a really nice aroma that’s perfect for making sauces and stir fry.