Pasta alla Gricia
Savor the rich flavors of Pasta alla Gricia, a classic Roman dish with crispy guanciale and creamy pecorino.
Ingredients
- 400 g pasta
- 250 g guanciale
- 120 g pecorino romano, finely grated
- 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- water for boiling
- 40 g salt for the pasta water
How to make it
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the salt, and cook the pasta until al dente. Lift out about 1.5 dl of the cooking water before draining.
- Pat the guanciale dry, cut it into short strips, and put it in a cold pan.
- Set the pan over medium heat and let the fat render slowly, stirring now and then, until the guanciale is golden and crisp at the edges. Remove the pan from the heat for a few minutes, then keep the guanciale and the rendered fat in the pan.
- Add the black pepper to the warm fat and stir it through for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Add the drained pasta to the pan with a splash of the reserved pasta water and toss over low heat until the strands look glossy and lightly coated.
- Take the pan off the heat, add the pecorino romano in a handful at a time with a little more pasta water, and toss until a creamy sauce clings to the pasta. Serve immediately in warm shallow bowls with the crisp guanciale on top and extra pepper scattered over.
