Pasta alla gricia

Method

1. 01 /

   Start by preparing the guanciale, this fantastic product typical of the area of the Castelli Romani; one of its characteristics is the fact that it is covered with pepper, which makes it very tasty. Try to get it, it’s special, but if you can’t, you can replace it with a lightly smoked pancetta. Remove the rind from the guanciale and cut it into pieces of similar size; also cut the rind and put everything in a pan to brown over a moderate heat. Do not add oil, the fat released by the guanciale and the rind is more than enough. If you really want, you can traditionally add a tablespoon of lard. Pour in the white wine, in our case a Malvasia of the Castelli Romani, and let it evaporate. The guanciale is ready when you see that it is coloured but not dry.

2. 02 /

   Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water, only slightly salty because we already have a lot of flavour in the guanciale.

3. 03 /

   Halfway through cooking the pasta, remove the rind from the pan where the guanciale is cooking and add the pasta. Proceed to cook the pasta over a low heat, being careful not to let it dry out. To make it perfectly creamy, add cooking water from the pasta a little at a time, always mixing very well to combine the flavours well. Always taste the pasta to know when it is cooked.

4. 04 /

   Move on to serving, pouring the pasta into serving dishes and adding the Pecorino at the end. Serve the pasta immediately, hot and cooked to the right point.