A perfect blend of old and new.
Wilyer Abreu was a revelation last year as a rookie, batting .253/.322/.459 and earning himself 3.1 FanGraphs WAR, good for third on the team behind Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers and ahead (!) of Tyler O’Neill. Given how seamlessly he meshed into the lineup and dusty ol’ Fenway, you’d have thought he was a veteran, and that’s what made it all the more magical. Speaking of magical…
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On the first night of my honeymoon, in Rome, my then-wife and I went to dinner in a building considerably older than the United States. While the restaurant was modern, it was adapted to the odd angles and contours planned 100 years prior — think fine (enough) dining in the Fenway triangle, and you’re basically there.
I looked at the menu and saw, among dishes I knew, one I did not: pasta amatriciana. As I would learn later, amatriciana is effectively the fourth of the four staple pasta dishes of Rome, behind or alongside cacio e pepe, pasta all grigia and carbonara. It sounded the best so I ordered it, and it changed my life, not unlike Abreu changed the Red Sox last season.
Here’s the thing about two of the four pastas of Rome that you might not know: They’re not that old! You think about the Eternal City and dishes associated with it and might be like wow, those must be old too. Cacio e pepe? Sure. But carbonara and amatriciana were invented long after the American Revolution and only perfected in the 20th Century. They’re young but play old. Again: just like Abreu.
Here’s a recipe for amatriciana I’ve adapted from Daniel Gritzer at Serious Eats, because the cookbook with the recipe I like to use now belongs to my ex-wife of same said dinner. At least the food was good!
Bucatini all’Amatriciana all’Abreu
Serious Eats/Maureen Celestine
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 ounces (170g) guanciale, cut into slices about 1/8 inch thick and then into 3/4- by 1/4-inch strips
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup (60ml) dry white wine
- 1 (28-ounce; 794g) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound (450g) dried bucatini pasta
- 1 ounce (30g) grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
Bryan’s Notes
Two things: One, if your Instagram feed is anything like mine, and it’s probably not, you’ll have videos of Italian and Italian-American chefs begging you to use guanciale, or cured pork cheek, which isn’t that easy to find in the U.S. They say you can substitute pancetta if you absolutely must, but you’ll be missing out on the full experience. While this is true in a technical sense, I wouldn’t worry too much about it, as you are almost certainly not in Rome and thus don’t need to do what the Romans do. It’s good enough without being particular about it, so just roll. If you get really good at it and want to splurge some day, find yourself an Italian deli.
On the flip side, fresh pasta utterly whips boxed pasta’s rigid booty on either side of the Atlantic, so I’d use that if you can find/afford/make it.
Serious Eats’s Directions
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add guanciale and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of pan, until nearly evaporated, about 3 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, boil pasta in salted water until just shy of al dente, about 1 minute less than package recommends. Using tongs, transfer pasta to sauce, along with 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Cook over high heat, stirring and tossing rapidly, until pasta is al dente and sauce has thickened and begins to coat noodles. Remove from heat, add cheese, and stir rapidly to incorporate. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Serve right away, passing more cheese at the table, while you watch the Red Sox.