One of Italy’s most famous sauce, Amatriciana, originated in Amatrice, a small town in Lazio famous for the pasta dish, made using guanciale.
The 50th anniversary sagra, food festival, was to be held this weekend.
Amatrice no longer exists. Hopefully it can be rebuilt. Usually they move the towns.
The earthquake on August 24th leveled most of the town of Amatrice and other small towns nearby ; Accumuli and Pescara Del Tronto,are the villages most damaged.
There is a movement here in Italy and in USA to donate part of the cost of the Amatriciana dish you order in the restaurant to the fund for the victims.
My idea was to just cook yourselves, invite friends and send more money instead of paying to go out.
On FB, someone then posted a hashtag who had the same idea I did– cook at home!
#VirtualSagra
in Italy they are using #unamatricianaperamatrice
Post your foto on your FB page, your blog, Twitter and use a hashtag.
To cook along here is the recipe for the Amatriciana from Amatrice.
There are probably as many recipes as there are cooks, but they have tried to “codify” it some.
Essentials:
They use guanciale, like pancetta but from the jowls not the belly- NEVER USE BACON.
They saute with lard, not olive oil. In Amatrice, no garlic , no onion.
When the guanciale is browned, some splash with white wine, then remove the pancetta, add the tomato and cook down, adding the pancetta back in when they add the pasta.
Spaghetti not other pasta ( recipes suggest DeCecco 12) in Rome they use Bucatini.
Pasta is always cooked in salted water, drained when just al dente and then finished in the pan with the sauce, so it absorbs the sauce.
They use a local pecorino cheese, NOT pecorino romano, too salty, grated on top. ( Tuscan aged pecorino is similar).
The trick is to add some of the cheese in the pan when you are cooking the pasta in the sauce, then add more right before serving and top with cheese when serving.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces Guanciale or Pancetta sliced into thin pieces
- 1 small can of whole tomatoes ( i adore the REAL San Marzano, they cook faster and have a fabulous flavor)
- 2 TBS lard or Extra virgin olive oil Q.B ( quanta basta– just enough)
- Grated aged pecorino cheese ( Romano or similar) to taste, QB in italian, Quanto Basta
- 80-100 grams/ up to 3 ounces/ of spaghetti or bucatini per person
- This recipe makes sauce for 3-4 servings
Instructions
- First thing- saute the guanciale/pancetta pieces in a pan, you probably don’t need to add oil as they are fatty, but you can add a tiny bit. Using the lard to saute makes it really porky flavored.
- When the pancetta is crispy, splash with white wine. Remove the pancetta from the pan.
- Add the can of the tomatoes.Take the pan off the heat first– so you don’t get splashed when the tomato splatters.
- Crush the tomatoes with the back of a fork and let cook down.
- Put the pasta on to cook.Under cook the pasta, just a little.
- Salt the pasta water.
- When the pasta is almost done, leave it a little al dente, drain and add to the tomato sauce.
- Add the pancetta now too, this way it stays crisp! (This is why I almost didn’t get married, I left the pancetta in the pan the whole time the sauce was cooking down).
- The pasta will finish cooking in the sauce and absorb the sauce into the pasta, giving it more flavor.
- Add some of the grated pecorino cheese and stir in. Add more just before serving, and let it melt in.
- Serve more Pecorino Romano cheese grated on top.
pancetta
HOW TO HELP:
my first choice right now is feeding the people- all the homeless and the volunteers. My friends at Gragano pasta have created a fund at the bank to help them feed the people.
Consorzio di Tutela Pasta di Gragnano
via Vittorio Veneto 20
80054 GRAGNANO NA
IBAN: it05w0310422100000000823729
Causale #unpiattoperamatrice
The virtual sagra is over– but #unpiattopermatrice will go on!
Here are other places to donate.
Here is an article from CCN which explains where to send money from USA.
If you are outside of Italy- I would use one of the below.
The Italian Red Cross- Croce Rosso with credit card or paypal.
Or the Slow food link which goes right to Amatrice
one of my friends here has started a fund for the pets, they personally will bring food.
To participate in this #virtualSagra click over to Mike’s site. Post your fotos with the #virtualsagra @AMAtriciana on twitter and Facebook
Tag your fotos invite friends for dinner and make a donation.
Am sure this will take YEARS to rebuild the towns.
Mille Grazie- Thank you
As a Californian, I know, it can happen anytime to any of us.
Most amazing idea. Grazie!!
Eager for your messages and recipes
thank you lucy— i just keep thinking it could be any of us.
Thanks so much for this, Judy! I made mine tonight with lots of love, to celbrate, pray for, and spread the word to try and get help for this town. I just followed your guidelines and the pictures above. The only chili pepper I had was a piment d’espelette but I am assuming the angels above will forgive me. It was delicious. We were reminded so strongly that we are alive… Thanks for compiling this list of places to give.
Hi Judy- thanks for helping to raise awareness! Although I do think it is worth acknowledging the option to dine at restaurants trying to help, especially since a lot of donation messages are asking to send 2eu to the red cross- the amount most restaurants are pledging. Every little bit counts and visitors to Florence (or Rome, etc), for example may not have kitchens to cook in- since they are going to eat out, might as well go to restaurants who are donating a portion of proceeds right? Plus this is raising awareness about a regional dish which is so iconic to one of the areas affected by this tragedy. We can always do both- donate a little bit and then eat this dish when out. There is room for everyone to give in this situation:) In any case, hats off to the virtual sagra efforts!
i appreciate your comment– but– i really think we DON”T need to go out and spend the normal 15-35 euro to eat out and can skip a meal to send more than 2 euro. Of course, everyone donating is fabulous.
There are many ways to donate. I just think that if you can afford to go out, you can afford to send more!
The whole concept of the #virtualsaga was to send more money.
Every euro counts for sure. My friend is raising money for the pets, and is doing that herself as she did in 2009.
I also am doing more research on where to really send the money…. as much of the money NEVER gets to the victims, but seems to stay in the pockets of those running non-profits.
Slow Food connected directly with the town of Amatrice, which of course is not the only town damaged. There is no time limit on helping people— so anyone can donate any time– and am sure the earthquake zones will need help forever.
Look at Aquila— that was not that long ago, and people there are still suffering. I have friends with family in Sicily in the Val di Berice, where people lived in the shacks from the earthquake in 66 until not too long ago.
The most important part is to have control over who is in charge of rebuilding and to not let the money disappear.
of course, if one has a choice in life- ordering a dish of pasta while you go out at an establishment that is participating is always GREAT!
Hi
Thanks for spreading the Word, in Miami, Chef Gaetano Ascione at Spasso restaurant will be donating the full price of each order of pasta alla’amatriciana from now until Sep.30. He also encourages people to donate on their own as well.
The website Ammado was recommended in the article by CNN
Here is the page in that site, created by Spasso. https://www.ammado.com/community/helpamatrice