Pasta alla Gricia
A classic Roman pasta dish made with crispy guanciale, black pepper, and Pecorino Romano cheese. This simple yet luxurious preparation creates a creamy, pepper-flecked sauce that perfectly coats the rigatoni.
Ingredients
- •1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- •6 ounces guanciale (salt-cured pork jowl), cut into 3/4" pieces
- •8 ounces rigatoni
- •1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- •2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
- •3 ounces Pecorino Romano
- •3 cups grated cheese
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Heat oil in a large skillet over mediumlow. Cook guanciale, stirring often, until it starts to brown and crisp, 10-15 minutes; it will shrink dramatically as the fat renders. Transfer to a small bowl with a slotted spoon; reserve skillet (do not wipe out).
15 min
- 2.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling lightly salted water, stirring occasionally, until pasta is about halfway cooked (not quite al dente); drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
6 min
- 3.
Add 3/4 cup pasta cooking liquid to reserved skillet and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, swirling often to encourage drippings and liquid to emulsify, about 1 minute. Add pasta and cook, tossing often and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until pasta is al dente and a thick, glossy sauce forms, 5-7 minutes (this second cooking is why you undercook the pasta initially).
7 min
- 4.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add guanciale, pepper, and two-thirds of Pecorino; toss well to combine and melt cheese. Serve pasta topped with remaining Pecorino.
3 min
