If you’ve never sunk your teeth into an al dente strand of bucatini are you really missing out? While it’s not one of the most obscure pasta types it’s certainly underrepresented at least among American eaters for whom classics like spaghetti penne and rigatoni always seem to dominate the store shelves and menus. For the uninitiated bucatini is essentially a marriage of long pasta and tubular pasta. It looks like a very thick strand of spaghetti but with a hole running through the middle almost like a narrow straw. It’s a bit firmer than most long noodles though the hole in the middle ensures that you don’t end up with an undercooked center. The result is a deliciously flavorful bite while the hollow center does a fantastic job of holding sauce.
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Why I'm Totally Obsessed With Rome's Secret Pasta
Every pasta lover should try a bowl of bucatini at least once in their life so consider picking up a box on your next grocery trip. The question of course is what sauce to serve with it. For a rundown of the best bucatini recipes Chowhound spoke with Chef Jasper J. Mirabile Jr. of Jasper’s Italian Restaurant in Kansas City Missouri. He’s so passionate about pasta that he started a radio show called “Live! from Jasper’s Kitchen” to spread the gospel of Italian cuisine. Chef Mirabile is a big fan of bucatini and in his eyes there’s one sauce combination that stands out above all others: Amatriciana.
Bucatini is most closely associated with the traditional bucatini all'Amatriciana. Chef Mirabile calls it his favorite and a nostalgic sauce. "As a child it was always a treat when my father made it on Sundays" he recalls. Along with cacio e pepe pasta alla gricia and carbonara Amatriciana is one of Rome's four major pasta dishes although it is thought to be named after the town of Amatrice about 90 miles to the east. Traditionally it was served with spaghetti but has since become most closely associated with bucatini. As Chef Mirabile explains "This type of pasta holds the sauce better because of its unique shape."
Amatriciana like Rome’s other three pastas offers a lesson in the virtues of simplicity. The sauce begins with sautéing some cubed guanciale a type of salted pork cheek that’s not unlike pancetta. The other key ingredients are tomatoes and red chili flakes. Some versions add onion though this isn’t the traditional route. A shower of Rome’s beloved Pecorino Romano cheese is essential to bringing it all together. It’s hearty and comforting and allows each ingredient to shine. As good as it is it’s far from the only option when it comes to bucatini.
