Halal-conscious recipe
Bucatini all'amatriciana, no pork
John Torode's bucatini all'amatriciana with a homemade fresh tomato passata, whole red chillies and pecorino, using Halal beef bacon in place of smoked bacon or pancetta.
Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.
Why Halal checks matter here
The sauce is built on 250 g of smoked bacon or cubetti di pancetta, which are cured pork, and the pecorino stirred through it may be made with animal rennet.
John Torode's amatriciana builds its tomato sauce on smoked bacon or cubetti di pancetta. Both are cured pork, so here it is the same weight of Halal-certified beef bacon; that swap is ours.
It follows John Torode's bucatini all'amatriciana for BBC Good Food, which starts from a fresh passata made by sieving 2 kg of tomatoes. The pecorino stirred through can be made with animal rennet, which scholars differ on (see parmesan for the rennet question), and the pasta label is worth reading for egg.
The beef bacon cooks for 8 to 10 minutes with the whole chillies, then simmers in the passata for 4 to 5 before the hot pasta goes in.
Halal-critical ingredients
- Smoked bacon or pancetta The published recipe uses 250 g of smoked bacon or cubetti di pancetta, both cured pork. Beef bacon contains no pork but is Halal only from Halal-slaughtered animals with certification. Use Halal-certified beef bacon, as here. See Bacon.
- Pecorino Some pecorino labels list animal rennet, and scholars differ on rennet from animals not slaughtered the Halal way. Use a hard cheese that names microbial, vegetable or Halal-certified rennet, or one your school accepts. See Parmesan.
- Bucatini Dried wheat pasta is fine; egg pasta needs its label read. Read the pasta label. See Pasta.
Safe substitutes
- 250 g smoked bacon or cubetti di pancetta → 250 g Halal-certified beef bacon (our swap)
- Pecorino made with animal rennet → A hard cheese with microbial, vegetable or Halal-certified rennet
Allergens
gluten (bucatini), milk (pecorino)
Ingredients
Fresh passata
- 2 kg tomatoes (cherry, plum or ordinary), roughly chopped
Pasta
- 250 g Halal-certified beef bacon, cut into strips (our swap for smoked bacon or pancetta)
- 2 small red chillies, left whole
- 500 g bucatini
- 200 g pecorino, grated (see the rennet check below)
Method
- Make the passata. Whizz the tomatoes to a fine pulp in a food processor, in batches. Press them through a sieve into a large pan, in batches again, getting through as much as you can with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until reduced by a third, to about 700 ml.
- Cook the beef bacon. Put the Halal beef bacon into a cold, large, heavy-based frying pan and set it over a medium heat. Add the whole chillies and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the bacon is sizzling and golden all over.
- Combine. Stir in the tomato sauce, bring to the boil and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Toss with the pasta. Meanwhile cook the bucatini and drain well. While it is still hot, tip it into the sauce, sprinkle with most of the cheese and stir well. Take out the whole chillies, dish up and scatter over the rest of the cheese.
How this recipe was researched
Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Bucatini all'Amatriciana' by John Torode (serves 6: 2 kg cherry, plum or ordinary tomatoes, roughly chopped, whizzed to a pulp in batches, sieved and simmered 20 to 30 minutes until reduced by a third to about 700 ml; 250 g smoked bacon strips or cubetti di pancetta put into a cold heavy pan over a medium heat with 2 whole small red chillies and cooked 8 to 10 minutes until sizzling and golden; the sauce stirred in and simmered 4 to 5 minutes; 500 g bucatini cooked, drained and tossed in while hot with most of 200 g grated pecorino; the chillies removed and the rest of the cheese scattered over). We replaced the bacon or pancetta with the same weight of Halal-certified beef bacon; that swap is ours. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.
Technique and ingredient sources
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Bucatini all'Amatriciana — BBC Good Food
Retrieved:
By John Torode. Serves 6, prep 20 minutes, cook 20 minutes: 2 kg tomatoes made into about 700 ml passata, 250 g smoked bacon or pancetta cooked with 2 whole chillies, simmered together, tossed with 500 g bucatini and 200 g pecorino. We replaced the bacon or pancetta with Halal beef bacon.
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Bacon analysis — isithalal.food
Retrieved:
Why pork bacon is Haram, and when beef and turkey bacon are Halal.