When I think of my palette changing from child to adult, there were two moments where I said to myself, “go for it”. The first was a hamburger, something deep inside of me just said; “Dude, eat the lettuce, tomato and onion, don’t push it to the side.” My mind was blown at the textures and width of flavors that accompanied this spontanious leap of faith. How could I have ever wanted to eat in such a bland manner, why have I allowed myself to miss out on so much awesomeness? The second time was having the bucatini all’Amatriciana at the NYC restaurant Lupa, where I’d years later work. As a kid, I loved my penne pomodoro, it doesn’t get simpler. On this particular afternoon, at the early peak of the restaurant’s popularity, my mom convinced the host to seat us on their small front deck, which was really more decorative than usable. This was a great move, considering the multi-hour wait for a weekday lunch. With the twin towers visible to the south, I ordered my penne pomodoro, which wasn’t on the menu, but I knew could be procured. I was met for the first time in my life with “no substitutions” and directed towards the ‘matriciana, which I reluctantly ordered. Upon its arrival I had my second “what have I been doing with my life” moment. It was salty, sharp, spicy, meaty and incredible, a penne pomodoro taken to the max. My quest to recreate the dish started here and took nearly 10 years to perfect. There is one thing about the Lupa ‘matriciana that’s not traditional, and that’s large cut onions that are blistered, I’ve always loved this and today’s recipe hones in on that feature, while eliminating the delicious, but still hard for some to find, guanciale. I hope you enjoy.
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