Authentic Rigatoni alla Gricia

I already posted three of the four iconic Roman pasta : Carbonara, Amatriciana, and Cacio e pepe are but a click away. Last but not least, pasta alla Gricia remained to be covered. This pasta dish is at a crossroads between the Carbonara and the Cacio e pepe. Don't have fresh eggs ? No matter ; if you already have your Roman basics in your fridge and cupboard, you're good to go ! You only need to gather 3 long-lasting ingredients :

• Guanciale,
• Pecorino Romano,
• Black pepper.

That is all ! Along with your favourite pasta shape, of course -trafilata al bronzo please ! If you're familiar with my former pasta recipes, you already know that this pasta kind, extruded through bronze, will present small irregularities that enable the sauce to cling to it. Gricia pasta is usually made using Rigatoni ; their tubular form, with ridges, make it perfect both for coating the beautiful sauce, and giving a hiding spot for our tiny guanciale pieces. If you ask me though, I'd say tonnarelli or spaghetti are also perfect here. If you have any doubts on how Pecorino + Water are enough on their own to make a delicious sauce, forget about them ; the Pecorino and guanciale fat act both as binding agents for the starchy water, and as flavour bombs, while the black pepper brightens up the fattiness of the sauce. As for our 3 other recipes, the recipe here is exceedingly simple, but demanding at the same time. Be patient ; take the time to grind your black pepper, to grate your Pecorino, to get your guanciale golden-brown ; at the very end of the cooking process, do add your Pecorino little by little, and cautiously eyeball the pasta water level, so that the sauce turns coating, yet not watery. You'll need to focus, it is true, but none too long ; this pasta will take up 30 minutes of your time, start to finish. Perfect as a weeknight treat !

Authentic Rigatoni alla Gricia Recipe

Ingredients - Advice & key points

I usually go to Eataly to get the produce I need. If you don't have one near your location, you can find fresh produce like guanciale and pecorino at your local Italian deli, maybe even your pasta. For pasta, if not available there, you should be able to order it online quite easily.

• Pasta :
  • While I believe rigatoni is the best choice for this recipe, and was usually used in restaurants in Rome when I visited, tonnarelli or spaghetti would also work well.
  • Not familiar with Bronze Drawn pasta ? Then read above, and you'll secure one of the most important secret for perfect, Italian approved pasta.  

• Cheese(s) :
  • Very important : Use some aged cheese ! If below the 8 month range, the Pecorino might be overly moist and won't melt properly.
  • You can stick to Pecorino Romano only, which is the most traditional way. If your Pecorino type is strong, you might use a 70/30 blend with Parmigiano, which will tone down the strong Pecorino flavour. It depends on your Pecorino type ; if it is quite aged, in the 24-36 months range, you might benefit from adding a bit of Parmigiano.
  • Careful ; only add your cheese when your fire is turned off ! Else, your sauce will turn lumpy.

• Pepper :
  • It is important to use freshly ground black pepper.
  • I personnally use this blend from Roellinger, but you can really use any, except highly fragrant, exotic ones.
  • If you don't own a mortar and pestle, simply use the bottom of a small pot.

Recipe - What to pay attention to

• Pasta :
  • Don't oversalt ! While 10g of salt/liter is usually recommended, here, with the salt from the cheese, you can easily halve this amount.
  • We'll cook the pasta half of the packet cooking time in water, then in the pan with the peppery water. It is important that you taste several times starting 2 minutes before the theoretical end time, so that you get perfect al dente pasta.
• Black pepper :
  • You want to toast it once ground, along with your guanciale, but don't let it burn or it'll taste bitter.
• Pecorino :
  • It is very important to thinly grate your Pecorino to that it melts properly. You can use a microplane or a lime zester, but if you have a kitchen robot with a really thin setting, it will also work just fine and save you the trouble.
  • Do not use pre-grated cheese ! Additives are added to these cheeses so that they don't clump together, which will prevent it from integrating properly in your sauce.
• Adding your sauce : Remove your pan from heat at least 20 seconds before adding your sauce, otherwise the Pecorino might clump. Then incorporate your sauce progressively.
• Plating : I highly recommend heating your plates in the oven for 10 minutes at 80°C before plating. This will prevent the sauce from getting cold too quickly and becoming unappealingly "set".

Now you're fully ready to cook a magnificent pasta dish. Off to your kitchen ! If you're interested in more Italian pasta recipes besides the Roman ones, you can also check my Ragu alla Bolognese recipe, or my Butternut and guanciale pasta recipe.