Pasta alla Gricia is the white version of the very famous Amatriciana.
The ingredients are the same but in Amatriciana there is the addition of tomato.
This dish requires that you do not overcook the pasta.
In Rome, this dish will be very al dente – to many people, pasta in Rome is firmer than any pasta they’ve ever had.
You should learn to cook it this way, also. Err on the side of cooking it less, not more.
For the kind of pasta to use for this dish, use whatever you like, long or short. This recipe serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish.
Pasta alla Gricia: The White Amatriciana
Pasta alla Gricia is the white version of the very famous Amatriciana.
Ingredients
- 5 oz Guanciale (Pancetta) cubed
- 1 1/2 tsp Coarsely Ground Pepper
- 6 oz Pasta
- 3/4 cup Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
Instructions
Note:
- Because of the saltiness of the meat and the cheese, it is not recommended to salt the water for the pasta.
Ingredients:
- Start a large pot of water on the stove to boil. At the same time, fry the diced meat in a large fry pan over medium heat until the edges are a bit crispy. Remove meat with a slotted spoon and set aside. Do not wipe out pan.
- After the water has come to a boil, cook the pasta until about halfway done – you want the pasta to still be firm (the pasta will continue to cook later in the recipe).
- If you are using spaghetti, for instance, this will only take a couple of minutes.
- Add about ¾ cup of the pasta water and the ground pepper to the skillet with the fat from the meat and cook over medium high heat, whisking, to thicken, for about a minute.
- Remove pasta with a spider, tongs or some other kind of strainer and place in the skillet. Vigorously stir the pasta with the sauce and add more pasta water if it’s too dry.
- Add ½ cup of the cheese and stir, over the medium heat. The cheese will melt into the sauce – add more hot pasta water if you have to. Keep cooking and stirring until the sauce is creamy and the pasta is cooked, but still al dente.
- Add the guanciale or pancetta and stir to blend.
- Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with more cheese (and more pepper if you like) and serve. The pasta should be well coated with cheese and pepper, but there shouldn’t be a liquid sauce to this dish – if there is, you used too much pasta water.
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