Chef Graziella
Agnolotti del Plin
The pinched pasta of Piedmont, each tiny parcel sealed with thumb and forefinger, filled with braised meat that has surrendered to hours of slow cooking. Butter or broth. Nothing more.
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Rigatoni alla Gricia
Created by
The oldest of Rome's pasta quartet, requiring nothing but guanciale, pecorino, black pepper, and the starchy water that binds them into a glossy, clinging sauce.
Main Dishes
Italian, Roman
Weeknight
Quick Meal
10 min
Active Time
20 min cook•30 min total
Yield4 servings
Before there was Carbonara, before there was Amatriciana, there was Gricia. This is the mother pasta, the one that existed when shepherds in the hills of Lazio had only cured pork, hard cheese, and pepper to season their evening meal. No eggs. No tomatoes. Nothing but what could survive weeks in a saddlebag.
Americans want to add things. They see four ingredients and assume something is missing. Garlic, perhaps. Onion. Cream. I tell you now: add nothing. What you keep out is as significant as what you put in. The genius of Gricia is that it needs nothing else. The rendered fat from the guanciale, emulsified with starchy pasta water and sharp pecorino, creates a sauce more luxurious than any cream could provide.
The technique is everything. You must render the guanciale slowly, coaxing out its fat without crisping it into bacon. You must work quickly when combining pasta and cheese, using the heat of the pan and the starch of the water to create an emulsion that clings rather than clumps. Simple does not mean easy. This dish will teach you that.
Gricia traces to the shepherds of Amatrice and Grisciano in the mountains of Lazio, who carried guanciale and pecorino on their transhumance routes centuries before tomatoes arrived from the New World. Some historians connect the name to the grici, Alpine bread merchants who settled in Rome's Trastevere. Either way, this is the ancestor from which Amatriciana and Carbonara descended.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
rigatoni
Quantity
400 grams
guanciale
Quantity
200 grams
cut into strips about 1/4 inch thick
Pecorino Romano
Quantity
120 grams
finely grated
black pepper
Quantity
generous amount
freshly ground
kosher salt
Quantity
for pasta water
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| rigatoni | 400 grams |
| guancialecut into strips about 1/4 inch thick | 200 grams |
| Pecorino Romanofinely grated | 120 grams |
| black pepperfreshly ground | generous amount |
| kosher salt | for pasta water |
Equipment Needed
- •Large 12-inch skillet (not nonstick, which does not conduct heat properly for this technique)
- •Large pot for pasta
- •Box grater with fine holes
- •Tongs or pasta spider
Instructions
- 1
Render the guanciale
Place the guanciale strips in a large cold skillet. Set over medium-low heat. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, allowing the fat to render gradually. This takes 10 to 12 minutes. The guanciale should become translucent and slightly golden at the edges, but not crispy. You want chewy, not crunchy. If the pan gets too hot, the fat will not render properly and the meat will seize. Patience.
Starting in a cold pan is essential. This allows the fat to render slowly and evenly. A hot pan will crisp the exterior before the fat has time to melt out. - 2
Cook the pasta
While the guanciale renders, bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil. Salt it well, though less aggressively than usual because pecorino is salty. Add the rigatoni and cook until two minutes shy of the package time. The pasta will finish cooking in the sauce. Reserve at least two cups of pasta water before draining. This starchy water is your fourth ingredient.
- 3
Add pepper to the fat
When the guanciale has rendered and taken on pale golden color, remove the skillet from heat briefly. Add a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper directly to the fat. The residual heat will bloom the pepper's aromatics. Stir to combine. The pepper should be visible and abundant. Romans do not fear black pepper.
Grind the pepper coarsely if possible. Fine powder dissolves invisibly. You want to taste the pepper, see the pepper, feel the pepper. - 4
Combine pasta and guanciale
Return the skillet to medium heat. Using tongs or a spider, transfer the underdrained rigatoni directly from the pot to the skillet. Do not shake off the water. That clinging moisture helps. Toss the pasta with the guanciale and rendered fat, adding splashes of pasta water as needed. Cook for one to two minutes, allowing the pasta to finish cooking and absorb the fat.
- 5
Create the emulsion
Remove the skillet from heat entirely. This is critical. Add about half a cup of pasta water and immediately begin adding the grated pecorino in handfuls, tossing vigorously between each addition. The cheese must melt into the hot pasta water to form a creamy emulsion. If the pan is too hot, the cheese will clump into stringy lumps. If too cool, it will not melt at all. Work quickly and confidently.
If the sauce becomes too thick and pasty, add more pasta water. If it seems thin and watery, return to very low heat briefly while tossing. You are looking for a glossy coating that clings to each tube of rigatoni. - 6
Serve immediately
Once the pasta is sauced, serve it promptly, inviting your guests and family to put off talking and start eating. Gricia waits for no one. The emulsion will break as it cools. Divide among warm bowls, ensuring each portion gets its share of guanciale. Finish with another grinding of black pepper. No additional cheese at the table. The ratio is already correct.
Chef Tips
- •Guanciale is not pancetta and it is certainly not bacon. It comes from the pork jowl, cured with pepper and herbs. Italian specialty stores carry it, or order online. If you must substitute pancetta, know that the dish will taste different. Do not use bacon. The smoke will ruin everything.
- •Pecorino Romano must be freshly grated on the fine holes of a box grater. Pre-grated cheese contains anti-caking agents that prevent proper melting. You will end up with clumps instead of cream.
- •The pasta water must be starchy. Do not use an enormous pot with gallons of water. Use just enough to cook the pasta properly. The concentration of starch matters for the emulsion.
- •Some Romans add a splash of the pasta water to the grated pecorino before adding it to the pan, creating a paste that incorporates more smoothly. This technique is forgiving for beginners.
Advance Preparation
- •There is no advance preparation for Gricia. You cannot make the sauce ahead. You cannot rewarm it. The emulsion exists only in the moment of creation.
- •You may cut the guanciale and grate the cheese hours ahead. Store them separately, covered, at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 280g)
Calories
735 calories
Total Fat
35 g
Saturated Fat
15 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
20 g
Cholesterol
70 mg
Sodium
1210 mg
Total Carbohydrates
76 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
27 g
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