Italian🍜 Noodles & pasta

Pasta alla Gricia

Name: Pasta alla Gricia
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3 oz guanciale or pancetta; 2 oz Pecorino Romano cheese; ~1 lb pasta (such as rigatoni); ~4 quarts water; 1 tsp black pepper

⏱ 30 min🍽 Serves 2

The grandfather of Roman pasta dishes—elegant in its simplicity. Made with cured pork, sheep's milk cheese, black pepper, and pasta. A field dish from the days before refrigeration, built on rendered guanciale (or pancetta), Pecorino Romano cheese, and bronze-die extruded pasta, brought together through an emulsion of concentrated pasta water and cheese.

Adapted from a video by J. Kenji López-Alt

The Grandfather of Roman Pasta Dishes: Pasta alla Gricia

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

guanciale or pancettacut into small strips (lardons). If guanciale lacks fat, up to 1 tbsp olive oil may be added3 oz
Pecorino Romano cheesegrated; reserve most for the sauce and a little for garnish2 oz
pasta (such as rigatoni)must be bronze-die extruded with a chalky, rough surface (not Teflon-extruded). Can use rigatoni, bucatini, spaghetti, or tonarelli~1 lbest.
waterfor cooking pasta: just enough to cover by a couple inches. Season very lightly with salt and MSG~4 quartsest.
black peppercoarsely ground, bloomed in the pork fat to enhance flavor and complexity

Steps

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1
Cut the guanciale or pancetta into small lardons and place in a skillet. Add a splash of water to prevent sticking, then render over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned and crispy. Meanwhile, grate the Pecorino Romano.
2
Bring water to a boil in another pot, seasoning very lightly with salt and MSG to avoid over-salting when the pasta water reduces. Use a smaller pot to concentrate starch effectively.
3
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until it is about 2 minutes shy of al dente. It will continue cooking more slowly once transferred to the skillet with other ingredients.
4
Drain the pasta, reserving a couple of cups of the pasta water. Set the drained pasta aside.
5
Pour off some of the pork fat, add a tiny splash of water to deglaze the browned bits, then add coarsely ground black pepper (about 1 tsp) and let it bloom in the pork fat to enhance its aroma and complexity.
6
Return the drained pasta to the skillet with the pork and fat. Add a ladle or two of the starchy pasta water and increase heat to high. As the pasta water reduces, the starch will thicken and emulsify with the pork fat, creating a silky glaze that coats the pasta. Continue cooking until the pasta reaches desired tenderness, adding more pasta water as needed.
7
When the pasta and sauce are nearly done, remove from heat. Stir in about three-quarters of the grated cheese. If it becomes clumpy, add a splash of pasta water. Stir vigorously and shake the pan to ensure the cheese melts evenly and forms a proper emulsion.
8
Taste and adjust seasoning with a tiny bit more salt and black pepper if needed. Stir in most of the crispy pork, reserving some for garnish.
9
Plate the pasta and garnish with the remaining cheese, crispy pork, and a final sprinkle of fresh black pepper. The finished dish should have a creamy, silky emulsion coating each strand, with no greasiness or clumping.

Pasta alla Gricia

Ingredients

Steps

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