How to feed a crowd? - Pasta Amatriciana

In our second feed-a-crowd recipe video, Zac teaches us how to cook Pasta Amatriciana from scratch, using fresh tomatoes.

Cotechino Amatriciana

Feeds 10
 

Ingredients

• 5 cotechino sausages, boiled for 2 hours, cooled, and diced 1cm 
• 700g penne pasta 3kg tomatoes, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper 
• 2 onions, diced 
• 4 tablespoons minced garlic (or one whole bulb, peeled and crushed) 
• About 4-5 long red chillis, finely diced (remove seeds if you want less heat) 
• Half a handful of chopped woody herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, and/or sage 
• About 300ml Olive oil, plus a bit extra to finish 
• About 1 tablespoons salt About 2 tablespoons ground pepper 
• 300g grated pecorino or parmesan 
• A good two handfuls of chopped parsley (usually this is about 2 small bunches from a supermarket)

METHOD
 

Prepare the cotechino in advance. Cook in a pot/pan on high heat with oil until crispy. Set aside. 

Cook the pasta to al-dente following packet instructions, drain, and toss with a bit of olive oil and seasoning. 

Roast the tomatoes on high heat in the oven for 20-30 minutes until blistered and softened. 

Saute onions in a pot with olive oil, salt, and pepper until softened and sweet. 

Add chili and garlic and cook until the garlic is lightly browned and slightly sweet. 

Add your roasted tomatoes and woody herbs, smash all together until it’s relatively liquid, and bring to a simmer. Pop the lid on if you’re happy with the consistency, or leave the lid off and reduce the liquid a little on high heat if you think it needs it. 

Vigorously stir through cooked pasta, cotechino, pecorino/parmesan, parsley, and a little more olive oil. The pasta’s starches will begin to bind with the olive oil, thus allowing the water and oil to emulsify together. If you can get the balance right, you’ll achieve a silky sauce that holds on the spoon and clings to the pasta. If it gets a little too gluggy, simply add a bit of water and work through it the sauce. 

Adjust seasoning if needed – the flavours should really pop as you eat it. If not, add more salt/pepper/chili as you see fit, until you’re giving a little nod to yourself and possibly doing a little involuntary jig on the spot due to the incredible deliciousness of it all.