I feel happy and sad about writing this today. Sad because the inspiration behind this dish comes from the loss of a talented young lady - taken far too early. Yet I also have warm and comforting feelings knowing that she brought happiness to the world and to her family and friends. Isabella ran the blog Coriander Queen - a place filled drool-worthy recipes and delicious photography of the kind of food I love to eat. Not forgetting the cocktails too!
I’d heard about her battle with cancer, but was shocked to hear it had taken her life a few weeks ago. She was still in her 20’s. Just no age to be taken from this world. In tribute to Isabella’s story, a few of us fellow bloggers got together to cook recipes from her blog. They’re all being posted today so I’ll include some links to everybody’s posts below. I decided to cook Isabella’s Amatriciana Pasta, as similar to Izzy, it reminded me of travels to Italy. For Izzy, that was Rome, for me, it was last year in Venice and Lake Garda. I’ve made a couple of changes here and there to make it my own.
So often, the simpler recipes are the best, and this one - containing just seven ingredients (excluding the seasoning and obligatory parsley scatter!), is so good! Originating from Italy, it’s made with Bucatini - which is kind of like fat spaghetti with a hole running through the centre. You can make the dish with spaghetti or even penne or rigatoni if you prefer, but bucatini is the best. Slow cooked onions (some versions omit this) and just-crisped pancetta (the authentic version uses guanciale - which is a fattier make made from pork jowl. Not the grisly type of fat though, it’s a rich and creamy type of fat - almost melt-in-the-mouth) cooked with just a hint of chili flakes. Not so much chilli that you need to reach for the water, rather, just enough to leave a tiny bit of heat in your mouth that makes you question whether it actually had chilli in it.
Tinned tomatoes are added and cooked down until rich and thick. You can add a little sugar here if you like, but if you use some good quality tomatoes (such as Cirio), you shouldn’t need to. The al-dente bucatini is added along with the pecorino, so that the pasta absorbs the flavour of the sauce, whilst being coated in the creamy cheese. I like to finish off with black pepper, extra pecorini and a sprinkling of parsley before serving. Each time I eat this Amatriciana Pasta, i’ll be thinking of Izzy, and raising a glass of wine to her and her family xx You’ll find links for lot’s of other Izzy-inspired recipes, from my fellow blogger friends, just below the recipe instructions.
More Amazing Pasta Recipes
My homemade fresh pasta Spaghetti Bolognese Vegetable Pasta Bake Chicken Parmesan served with spaghetti Homemade Lasagne Recipe One-Pot Alfredo Chicken Chicken and Bacon Pasta Bake Tuna Tomato Pasta Bake
Other Bloggers Recipes for Izzy
Easy 5 ingredient pesto tomato tart on Amuse Your Bouche (vegetarian) Globe artichoke with balsamic dip on Natural Kitchen Adventures (vegan) Cider, apple and sausage casserole on Farmersgirl Kitchen Chocolate orange oat bars on Veggie Desserts (vegan) Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies on Tin and Thyme (vegetarian) Arancini (risotto balls) on Coffee & Vanilla (vegetarian) Rich coffee cupcakes on BakingQueen74 (vegetarian) Gingerbread cupcakes with orange buttercream on The Veg Space (vegan) Marmalade and ginger loaf cake on The Crafty Larder (vegetarian) Ginger and oat cookies on Kavey Eats (vegetarian) Treacle tart on Patisserie Makes Perfect (vegetarian) Crispy fried halloumi on Supper In The Suburbs (vegetarian) Chocolate fridge cake on Jo’s Kitchen (vegetarian) Chocolate almond butter cookies on Rough Measures (vegetarian) Eggless chocolate chip cookies on Simply Sensational Food (vegetarian) Boozy decadent hot chocolate on Fab Food 4 All (vegetarian) Easy no bake blackberry cheesecakes on Casa Costello (vegetarian) Best coriander / cilantro recipes on Fuss Free Flavours (some vegetarian) Easy gingerbread popcorn snack on Celery & Cupcakes (vegetarian) Elderflower and vodka cocktail slush on The Hedgecombers (vegetarian) Fruit flapjacks on The Petite Cook (vegan) Tomato, garlic and prawn spaghetti on Hungry Healthy Happy (pesceaterian) Lemon drizzle loaf cake on Penne For Your Thoughts (vegetarian) Chicken ramen on It’s Not Easy Being Greedy Stuffed Nutella cookies on Munchies And Munchkins (vegetarian) Easy Berry Compote on Eats Amazing (vegetarian) Caipirinha on Lovely Appetite (vegetarian) Garlic and Lime Coriander Prawns on Travels for Tatse (pesceaterian) You know i LOVE my pasta recipes. This Amatriciana ricetta has a special place in my heart. You can take a look at my other favourite Pasta Recipes here. Some of my personal favourites are: Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon Cheesy Pasta with Bacon and Kale Chicken Bacon Mac N Cheese One Pot Rigatoni Alfredo with Chicken Big Batch Beef Ragu Chicken and Red Pepper Pasta Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
