Pasta alla Gricia is one of the signature dishes of traditional Roman cuisine and is considered the ancestor of amatriciana. An old recipe from Lazio, made with a few simple ingredients but full of character: guanciale, Pecorino Romano PDO and black pepper.
This pasta should be creamy, enveloping and savory, with the guanciale crisped to perfection and the Pecorino melted smoothly thanks to the cooking water. Its simplicity is where the secret lies: a few well-executed steps to serve an authentic Roman pasta.
Follow my original Pasta alla Gricia recipe and prepare it with me—you’ll see it will be a guaranteed success!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 14 oz dried pasta (rigatoni recommended)
- 9 oz guanciale (cured pork jowl)
- 3 oz Pecorino Romano PDO, finely grated (about 1 cup)
- to taste black pepper
- to taste salt
How to prepare the pasta alla gricia
First, finely grate the Pecorino Romano PDO and set it aside.
Cut the guanciale into thin strips and place it to brown in a large skillet, without adding oil or any other fat.Cook it over medium heat until it becomes crispy and translucent, releasing all its fat.
Once ready, transfer the guanciale to a plate and leave its rendered fat in the skillet.Meanwhile, bring plenty of water to a boil and add a small amount of salt. Cook the pasta and, when about 3 minutes remain in the cooking time, drain it while reserving a ladleful of the cooking water.
Pour a ladleful of the pasta cooking water into the skillet with the guanciale fat, add the pasta and finish cooking directly in the skillet, stirring.Turn off the heat and let the pan cool for a few seconds, then add the grated Pecorino and a little of the reserved cooking water. Stir vigorously until you obtain a smooth, velvety cream without lumps.
Finally add the crispy guanciale, a generous sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper and serve your creamy pasta alla gricia immediately, piping hot.
… Vane’s tips
Do not oversalt the water: Pecorino and guanciale are already very flavorful.
Always finish (emulsify) off the heat to avoid the Pecorino separating.
Use only Pecorino Romano PDO for the authentic flavor of gricia.
For an excellent result, I recommend using rigatoni as the pasta shape, ideal because their cavity and ridged exterior perfectly collect the Pecorino cream and the guanciale pieces.
Mezze maniche also work very well.
