Berkshire Eagle Column: Umami Makes It Great!
When I was testing recipes for the Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook, I frequently had to work on meat, vegetarian, and vegan versions of the same recipe. There is even a recipe in the “Meat” section of that book, collard leaves stuffed with meat, in the fashion of stuffed cabbage, that has a vegan version!
Ever since then, I have been mindful of ways I might adapt a recipe for different dietary needs. Although there are fierce debates over what makes a true pasta all’amatriciana, and I am under no illusions that the vegetarian and vegan versions below would ever be considered such by any Italian, I do think the adaptations I’ve devised here provide a quick and easy and delicious pantry recipe, whether you are cooking for meat-eaters or not. And it can certainly be gluten-free as well with your favorite brand of gluten-free pasta!
The link to the Berkshire Eagle column is here, or just scroll down!
FROM MEAT TO VEGAN
By Elizabeth Baer
We all have our go-to dinners for those insanely busy days when you get home late and are tired and hungry and don’t want to spend much time or effort getting something on the table. Yes, of course, there’s always take-out or going out, but sometimes even that takes too long and involves too much effort, and I’d rather put on cozy pajamas as soon as possible. And yet I still want to enjoy something good.
Over the years, with lots of practice, I have come to realize how quick and easy pasta all’Amatriciana truly is. I can make this dish from start to finish in about twenty minutes. (Depending on how hot your stove gets, the longest step may be bringing the water to a boil.) I first enjoyed this many, many times during my semester in Rome during my senior year of college. Italians have very strong feelings about what shape pasta must be used with what types of sauce, and the traditional dish always uses bucatini. Bucatini is a rather thick spaghetti, but with a hole through it. Truly, though, it doesn’t really matter, and you can use any kind of pasta, which is a good thing because some people find bucatini more difficult to wrangle onto a fork.
In order to have a go-to recipe, one must always have the ingredients at hand. For all’Amatriciana, it means dried pasta, canned tomatoes, olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, grated cheese (preferably pecorino Romano, but Parmesan also works), and some sort of cured pork product. I always keep thick slices of this in the freezer, and, in fact, find that it cuts really well from frozen. Guanciale (pig jowl) is the most traditional, but not easily sourced; pancetta (similar, but using pork belly) is easier to find; and American bacon is also good, but has a smoky flavor.
The secret to this recipe, with so few ingredients yet such great flavor, lies in the use of an ingredient full of umami goodness, which comes from the cured meat. But to make it more versatile and adaptable, I wondered if I could devise variations for people who don’t eat pork, or even for vegetarians. While I would never dare to call it Amatriciana (and certainly not around anyone Italian), I thought I might try swapping in other umami-rich ingredients for the pork, and my efforts were successful.
Anything pickled, salted, cured, or fermented usually contains naturally occurring glutamates that are flavor enhancers, and using any of these ingredients often yields that indescribable umami flavor. So for my first adaptation I used anchovies, and for a vegetarian version I used capers in brine, both of which are pantry items that you can always have on hand. And I even made it vegan by using chopped flat leaf parsley instead of cheese.
What’s your go-to? I’d love to hear your favorites!
PASTA ALL’AMATRICIANA and VARIATIONS
Serves 2, or 4 as a side; can be doubled
INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces dried pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil (if using American bacon, you may not need this depending on how fatty your bacon is; if using anchovies, you can use oil from the tin)
4 ounces guanciale, pancetta, or bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces; or half of a 2-ounce tin anchovies (about 8-9 fillets); or ¼ cup capers in brine, rinsed, patted dry
½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 can (14-ounce) of cherry tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, or whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand (if you do this, use a large bowl and beware – they can squirt when you squeeze them!)
Grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan for serving
DIRECTIONS:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Warm a large sauté pan over medium heat. If you are using guanciale, pancetta, or capers, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering and fragrant. If you are using American bacon, don’t add oil unless you find you need some once the fat has started to render. If using anchovies, add about a tablespoon of oil from the tin. Add the pork product or anchovies or capers, and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The pork products will get crisp; the anchovies and capers will splatter, so you may want to have a lid ready, and the anchovies will eventually melt into the oil.
Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and set a timer according to package directions for al dente pasta. If the pasta box does not include any adjustment for al dente pasta, decrease the cooking time by a minute or two.
Add the crushed red pepper flakes to the sauté pan and stir for 30 seconds to release the flavor. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Once the tomatoes are heated through, if the pasta isn’t done yet, lower the heat until the pasta is ready.
When the pasta is done, reserve a small amount of pasta water in case it’s needed. Turn the heat to medium under the sauté pan and move the pasta pot right next to the skillet. Remove the pasta directly from the water into the skillet, using tongs for a strand pasta, or a spider or strainer for a shape. It is important that some water cling to the pasta to give the sauce more body. Mix the pasta and sauce gently in the sauté pan. If it seems too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. Serve immediately with grated pecorino Romano if you have it, or Parmesan.