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1
Place the olive oil and guanciale matchsticks in a wide pan over medium heat. Render slowly, turning occasionally, until the edges are crisp and translucent fat has run freely into the pan but the interior of each piece remains tender. The guanciale is ready when the edges colour to a pale gold and the fat in the pan is fragrant and clear.
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2
Pour in the dry white wine. The pan will hiss and the wine will lift the rendered fat from the base. Allow it to reduce by half over medium-high heat until the sharp alcohol smell softens and only a faint acidity remains on the nose. This step balances the richness of the guanciale; it is not optional in the Amatrice original.
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3
Add the hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes. If the guanciale fat is very abundant, drain off the excess before this addition. Cook at a steady simmer for 8–10 minutes maximum. This is where the dish lives or dies: the sauce must finish bright-red and fresh-smelling, with the tomato still tasting of itself and not of long cooking. A dull, darkened, jammy sauce means the dish is already lost.
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4
Cook the spaghetti in well-salted boiling water to 2 minutes under the packet's al dente time. Drain, reserving a ladleful of pasta water, and transfer directly to the pan of sauce. Toss over medium heat, adding pasta water in small additions as needed, until the sauce clings evenly to every strand and the spaghetti is fully al dente. The pasta is done when it offers a faint resistance at the centre and the sauce has tightened around it.
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5
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the Pecorino Romano and toss vigorously. The cheese should melt into the sauce without clumping, forming a lightly cohesive coating — not a paste, not a pool. Taste: the correct register is sharp and saline from the sheep's milk cheese, not mild or creamy. Parmigiano is incorrect.