This sauce is a Roman classic. It comes from Amatrice, a town near Rome. It happens to be my son’s favorite pasta dish, and I often make it for guests as it’s a crowd pleaser and is simple to prepare!
To answer your questions:
1. Hot chili is dried red hot chili. You can buy it whole or in flakes. My good friend Romeo, who is from Amatrice says that people there argue about whether one should add it to the sauce or not. I think that if you like your food a bit spicy hot, then add it, if not, leave it out.
2. Pecorino Romano is a very salty strong flavored grating cheese that is used instead of parmesan. You can use parmesan instead, it will be delicious, just not authentic.
3. Pancetta is a type of bacon that is NOT smoked. Guanciale is a cousin of pancetta, made from the cheek of a pig. Guanciale is the original meat in the sauce, but even in Rome most people use pancetta because it’s easier to find and costs less. There are no good substitutes for pancetta in the USA since bacon is smoked. Good quality pancetta can be found in the USA in Italian groceries and stores like ‘Whole Foods’. It should be cut about ¼” thick, so you can dice it at home.
For 4-5 people:
1 lb of Bucatini or spaghetti if you can’t find bucatini
6 ounces (about) of guanciale or pancetta, diced
1 small onion, cut into small dice
A large can (16 oz) of Italian tomatoes, diced
2 TBLS olive oil
A small glass of dry white wine
Whole hot chili pepper to taste. (optional)
In a wide pan, over medium heat, sauté the pancetta and the chili pepper (if using) in the olive oil until it turns slightly brown (not crispy)
Transfer cooked pancetta to a plate. Do not drain the fat.
Discard the chili pepper.
In the same oil which is now mixed with the pancetta fat, sauté the onion until it is wilted.
Add the pancetta back to the pan.
Add the small glass of white wine, turn up the heat and cook until most of the wine has evaporated.
Add the diced tomatoes and sauté until the oil separates from the tomatoes. Season with salt, and turn off the heat.
Once the oil starts to separate from the tomatoes, add the pasta to a large pot of boiling water and cook until “al dente” which means it still is a tiny bit hard in the center, it will continue to cook a bit as you mix in the sauce.
Drain the pasta, pour the pasta into a large bowl and immediately stir in the sauce.
Eat immediately.
Buon appetito!
Elizabetta
www.elizabetta.net www.intdesignco.com 
home recipe for italian spagetti w/vino 
Bucatini al Amatriciana 
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