In honor and shameless infatuation, we've created four pasta dishes for TABLE readers inspired by Stanley Tucci's television travel series "Searching for Italy. This week we bring you Stanley Tucci Inspired Bucatini all' Amatriciana. This dish is very similar to our recipe for Penne all’ Arrabbiata with the exception of one key ingredient, guanciale; heavenly cured pork cheek that adds a smokey and crispy element to each bite. We recommend an inky Chianti Classico or Rosso di Montalcino to enjoy this beautifully simple and heartwarming dish.

Ingredients

6 ounces of guanciale, pancetta, or bacon, cut into strips
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flake
3/4 cup onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 canned whole peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano
12 ounces of bucatini or spaghetti
salt and pepper

Instructions

In a sauté pan over medium-low heat, add olive oil, onion, garlic, and guanciale (or pancetta or bacon). Add the pepper flake when the guanciale lightly crisps and browns. Crush the tomatoes in a separate bowl before adding them and all their juices to the pan and simmer low until the sauce reduces slightly and thickens.

Cook the dried pasta in nicely salted water, like the sea, until al dente. Add the pasta to the sauce directly from its water, adding a touch of the starchy salty water in the process to help the sauce stick to the pasta. Toss the sauce and pasta until covered evenly. Turn off the heat. Add the Pecorino Romano and gently fold it into the pasta.

Serve immediately and enjoy.

Story by Gabe Gomez / Prop styling by Keith Recker/ Photography by Dave Bryce/ Food styling by Veda Sankaran/ Fabric by @foundandforagedfibres / Wine pairing by Adam Knoerzer