1)Incorporate one of our current favorite ingredients, Guanciale. If you've never had Guanciale, it can be loosely compared to Pancetta or even a thick bacon; however, the flavor is stronger, more distinctly "porky" and the texture is refined, in no way chewy. You'll taste salt and pepper from the curing process; I find the falvor to have an earthy, almost herbal quality. The meat is sourced from the cheek or "guancia" of the pig, unlike other bacon-type products. Guanciale is somewhat temperamental to prepare; it is generally cooked to melt down the fat but it can burn easily with too much heat or time in the pan. If overcooked, the pork flavor is overwhelmed by one distinctly charred. See to the right for a shot of our test kitchen Guanciale.
2) Create a robust and rustic tomato based topper that will provide enough body to stand up to the strong flavor of the Guanciale and will offer the right texture to compliment the hearty Bucatini noodles. We started with fresh, plumb tomatoes then layered in various flavor combinations using herbs, garlic, vinegars, wines and other alcohols. In the end, we landed on a simple yet flavorful combination of lightly seasoned, roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic. The topping will be loosely diced into a vibrant contrast to the fresh pasta. Fresh basil, sea salt, black pepper and pecorino will be used to garnish the dish and will help each of the dominant flavors really pop. The image to the left is of a pre-roasted batch of garlic and seeded, quartered plumb tomatoes.We are looking forward to sharing the fruits of our expirmentation with the guests of our March 26th event!
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