Amatriciana pizza is a combination of two traditional Italian dishes, from geographically different and distant origins. On the one hand we have the pizza, original from Naples, and on the other, the Amatriciana sauce, native to the town of Amatrice, in the Lazio region. In other words, southern pizza and central Italian sauce, which all Romans consider their own. The amatriciana sauce is made with specific and natural products of the region: guanciale, which is the pork cheek without smoking, cured with salt and spices, which is sautéed with dry white wine, tomatoes and Pecorino Romano cheese are added. This sauce, in its origins, was part of what was known as cucina povera, poor cuisine, made by very low-income peasants and shepherds. Tomatoes were obviously an addition from the 18th century onwards, and the sauce is traditionally made with spaghetti or bucatini. Ingredients: 1 kilo of strength flour 2 ½ cups of warm water 2 tablespoons of olive oil 30 grams of fresh yeast 1 teaspoon of sugar 500 ml of homemade tomato sauce 500 grams of guanciale (can be substituted for Iberian shoulder and bacon cut into strips) 200 grams of mozzarella 200 grams of grated pecorino 150 ml of dry white wine Salt and pepper Oregano to taste How to prepare an Amatriciana pizza: Prepare the dough: mix the fresh yeast with the warm water and sugar in a small bowl . Let stand 5-10 minutes. In a large bowl, put the flour and add salt, stir. Open a hole in the center and add the two tablespoons of oil and the water with the yeast. Integrate gently and begin to knead until you obtain a homogeneous, manageable and smooth dough, without sticking to your fingers (15 minutes, approximately).Form a long tube with the dough and cut it into 4 equal parts. Form each part into a ball. Put them in a large bowl dusted with flour and cover them with a clean, dry cloth. Let rise for 45 minutes, until doubled in volume. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: cut the guanciale (or the bacon and the shoulder) into strips. In a frying pan, put the guanciale and let it release fat (you can add a little olive oil). When it is golden brown, add the white wine, let the alcohol evaporate and then add the tomato sauce, let it cook for 20 minutes over medium-low heat. After the fermentation time has passed, put a ball on the floured worktop, knead a little again and roll it out, giving it a round shape. Place the dough in the pizza mold, spread the sauce, distribute mozzarella and pecorino cheese, sprinkle with oregano to taste. Do the same with the other balls. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes at 200 ° C until the edges are golden brown and the cheese is melted. Prepare the Amatriciana pizza and enjoy a traditional Italian dish in style.
