Pasta Alla Gricia Recipe
One of the 4 classic Roman pasta dishes, Alla Gricia is simple and only require 4 ingredients.
Ingredients
- 8 oz Guanciale Cut into Lardons
- 450 g Pasta Rigatoni Rigate or Mezzi Paccheri
- Black Pepper Freshly cracked
- 1.5 cups Pecorino Romano Finely Grated
Instructions
Cook Pasta
- Cook the pasta for 3-5 minutes less than recommended
- Do not discard pasta water
Prepare Guanciale
- Cut the guanciale into ½” lardons (strips)
- Saute in a saucepan over medium-low until golden brown and crispy
- Remove guanciale from pan
- Leave the rendered fat in the saucepan
Prepare Sauce
- Add partially cooked pasta to the pan with rendered fat
- Add 1/2 of the reserved pasta water
- Mix the pasta in the saucepan vigorously until the starchy water and rendered fat emulsify
- Continue adding small amounts of the starchy pasta water as needed to cook the pasta al dente (the final product should not have excess water in the saucepan)
- Add 3/4 of the guanciale to the pan
Finish the Pasta
- Transfer the pasta and sauceto a large bowl
- Slowly add the grated pecorino romano cheese to the bowl while stirring constantly until all the cheese is added and the sauce is emulsified.
- Add freshly cracked black pepper
Plate the Pasta
- Scoop pasta into individual bowls
- Top with freshly grated pecorino romano
- Top with freshly cracked black pepper
- Top with remaing crispy guanciale
Notes
- Cook the guanciale on medium-low heat to render as much fat as possible.
- Cook the pasta for 3-4 minutes less than the cooking directions and finish cooking the pasta in the pan
- Do not add too much pasta water to the dish, it should have a texture that coats the back of a spoon.
- Transfer the pasta, pasta water, guanciale fat, and guanciale mixture into a bowl before adding pecorino romano to ensure a lower temperature so that the cheese does not seperate.