La Gricia Recipes

SPAGHETTI ALLA GRICIA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally.
• While pasta cooks, immediately heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add guanciale and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1 ladle of pasta cooking water, stir, and cover pan. As pasta cooks, add another ladle of cooking water to the pan with the guanciale to create a sauce.
• At about 10 minutes of pasta cooking time, reserve a cup of cooking water and drain pasta. Add spaghetti to the pan with the guanciale; toss, adding reserved cooking water if necessary. Turn off heat. Add 1/3 the Pecorino Romano cheese to the pasta and toss until creamy.
• Divide pasta between 4 plates. Top each with remaining Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper. Serve immediately.

PASTA ALLA GRICIA

Steps:

• Add the bacon to a large skillet. Place over medium heat and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 20 minutes. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan. Stir in the pepper and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Season it generously with salt. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions, about 8 minutes. Add 1 cup of the pasta water to the pan with the bacon, return the pan to medium-high heat and cook, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon, until slightly reduced, about 1 minute.
• Using tongs, remove the pasta from the water and add it directly to the pan with the sauce. Sprinkle the pasta with the cheese and begin to toss the pasta with the sauce. Continue to stir over low heat and toss until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta and the pasta is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. (Through this process, you may need to add more pasta water to help cook the pasta and maintain a sauce. This could take up to a cup more pasta water.) Serve topped with more cheese if desired.

PASTA ALLA GRICIA

Steps:

• Cook the guanciale in a large skillet over medium heat until deeply golden (adjust the heat as necessary to render the fat without burning the meat). The meaty parts should be browned and the fatty parts should be cooked but still slightly transparent. This will take 15 to 20 minutes. When it's done, add the black pepper and turn off the heat.
• Meanwhile, put a pot of salted water on to boil. When the water boils, cook the pasta until it's al dente, nearly but not quite done and still a bit chalky in the middle.
• When the guanciale has cooled a bit, and while the pasta is cooking, add 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water to the pan, turn the heat to high and reduce by about half.
• When the pasta is ready, use tongs to transfer it to the pan with the sauce. Stir the pasta as it finishes cooking, adding more pasta cooking water if necessary until the pasta is done and the sauce thick and creamy. Add half the cheese and a pinch of pepper, and stir vigorously to incorporate.
• Divide the pasta among four dishes, and dust each with the remaining pecorino.

PASTA ALLA GRICIA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain, saving about 1 cup of cooking water.
• Meanwhile, place guanciale in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, about 3 minutes. Add pasta water, cooked spaghetti, and grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Mix well.
• Distribute pasta amongst 4 bowls and serve with freshly ground black pepper and extra Pecorino Romano cheese.

LA GRICIA

Steps:

• Set a large pot (at least 4 quarts) of cold water to boil. When the water reaches a boil, toss in a pinch of salt. When the water returns to a rolling boil, add the penne; cook until al dente.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a pan and add the pancetta. Saute until the pancetta is a dark pink (be sure it does not turn crisp and golden).
• When the penne are cooked, drain them well (do not rinse) and transfer them to a warm bowl. Add the pecorino and an abundant amount of fresh pepper. Top with pancetta and oil, toss thoroughly and serve.

PASTA ALLA GRICIA

Steps:

• In a large nonstick pan, heat the olive oil, and then add the guanciale and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes, making sure that the meat does not get too crunchy and the garlic does not burn. Cook's Note: If you see that the garlic is browning too fast, remove it from the pan, finish the pork, and then add it again to the sauce.
• When the guanciale and the garlic are nice and golden brown, add the sage.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta to the water, and cook it about 2 minutes less than indicated on the box. Strain the pasta and add it to the saucepan over a medium-high heat, toss it around for a few seconds, then add the grated Pecorino, toss for one minute.
• Garnish with some grated Pecorino, a drop of extra-virgin olive oil, and some ground black pepper. Serve with a bottle of robust red wine.

SPAGHETTI ALLA GRICIA

Steps:

• Fill a pasta pot or a large stockpot with 6 quarts of water, add 6 tablespoons of salt, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. If you are not using a pasta pot, put a colander in the sink or have a pair of tongs handy for lifting the pasta out of the water.
• Cut the onion in half, separate the layers, and cut each layer into petals that are 1 inch wide across the middle. Put the onion petals in a large sauté pan with 1 cup of water and a big pinch of salt and cook the onion over high heat until the water evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add the guanciale and olive oil and cook over medium-high heat until the guanciale is crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and add another cup of water, the red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Turn off the heat while you cook the spaghetti.
• Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water, stir to prevent the strands from sticking together, partially cover the pot so the water returns to a boil quickly and continues boiling, and cook the pasta, using the time indicated on the package as a guide, until it's al dente. About 1 minute before the pasta is done, place the sauce over high heat. Lift the pasta out of the cooking water, or reserve 1 cup of the water and drain the pasta, and immediately add it to the pan with the sauce. Cook the pasta with the sauce for 2 minutes, stirring with a rubber spatula or tongs, to coat the pasta with the sauce, adding some of the reserved pasta water if the pasta is dry and sticky instead of slippery and glistening. Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley. Add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and pecorino romano and stir to combine.
• Use tongs to lift the spaghetti out of the pan and onto the center of each of four plates, dividing the pasta evenly, and twirling it as it falls onto the plate to form a tight mound. Spoon any sauce left in the pan over the pasta and use a microplane or another fine grater to grate a light layer of pecorino romano over each plate, and serve.
• suggested wine pairing
• Circeo Rosso (Lazio)