Pasta alla Gricia

By LeeBoruchow

If someone were to ask me what my favorite pasta dish was, this would undoubtedly be it. It is almost a laughably simple dish, and really has to be done with guanciale (and not a pancetta sub) or you miss the whole experience entirely. If you ever see a recipe for pasta alla gricia that has anything other than guanciale and cheese, ignore it! Adding stuff like garlic or herbs or wine to this pasta is as much an affront as adding heavy cream and peas to Carbonara.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 6-8 oz guanciale, thinly sliced into wide ribons
• 1/2 cup pecorino romano, grated
• 1 lb spaghetti or bucatini
• freshly ground black pepper

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Bring a pot of boiling salted water to boil.

While the water is heating, add guanciale to a cold pan with the oil and, over medium heat, begin to render the fat from the guanciale. Drop the pasta in the boiling water.

Do not let the guanciale turn brown or crisp - it should be translucent and soft. Once soft, add a splash of pasta water to the pan. Lower the pan heat and keep splashing it with pasta water to keep it moist, as the pasta cooks.

Remove pasta 1 minute short of al dente and add it to the pan with the guanciale. Toss to coat for 1 minute, adding pasta water as needed. Remove pan from heat and add the cheese and toss again. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with black pepper, to taste.