Ciao Bellos & Bellas! I grew up eating my Ma’s version of this Pasta Alla Gricia recipe. It is a very classic dish of the Roman region of Lazio. You can think of it as the precursor to Spaghetti all’Amatriciana, the classic dish with Tomato, Pancetta, and chilli. In Rome they add onion if you want to try a twist. In case you’re looking to learn to make your own fresh pasta I will be teaching two classes on Sunday October 2nd. You can register for them at Fresh Pasta Making and, for those who have already mastered rolled pasta, Ravioli Making. I’m also hosting a Teens Pasta Class on October 15th. Hope to see you, or your young ones, there.
Scroll down to get right to the recipe.
While North of Rome, from Tuscany to the border of France, Cows & Butter are abundant in Central & Southern Italy you see more Pork, Sheep, Goat, Fish and Olive Oil in recipes. I’m bias but I like it better. Don’t tell the Northern Italians though, they’ll get mad at me! This dish has probably been made, in one version or another, in Lazio for hundreds of years. Every farmer had some cured pancetta or fresh pork belly, and pasta was becoming a staple of the diet. Add a little Chilli flake and you’ll eat the recipe the way it was eaten before Black Pepper arrived around the 15th century. In Rome today, Black Pepper is the way to go.
Try it, share it, sign-up for my monthly recipe , and please tag me so I see your dishes. Again thank-you for all the Love & Support and remember to always #EatwiththoseyouLove TM PS You can watch me make this dish on a video which is posted to the highlight section of my Instagram Page @pastaboypeter
As with any recipe always use safe cooking procedures, & food safe practices. Health Canada is a great site for all food safe guidelines. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/topics/food-safety.html
Ingredients:
1 Clove of minced or rough chopped garlic as you like
1.5 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Approximately 350g or 12 oz of cubed Pancetta, Guanciale, uncured pork belly (heavily season the raw belly with salt, pepper, & chilli) or turkey Bacon (for you mad health conscious types)
Freshly Milled Back Pepper or Substitute with good Chilli flakes (Pepperoncini in Italian)
Minimum 4 Litres of Boiling Pasta Water Salted
500 grams of Bronze Extruded Spaghetti, Bucatini or Penne like I used to make
Pecorino Cheese to finish (You can use Parmeseano if that is what you have.)
A deep sauté pan or skillet to finish your pasta
Start your Pasta Water Boiling.
Crisp your Pancetta in 1.5 Tbsp. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Remove from the pan when crisped, leaving the fat in the pan, and laying out the meat on a paper towel. Now brown a clove of finely chopped garlic in the fat. Don’t burn it!
Add 500 grams of Spaghetti, Buccatini or Penne to your salted Boiling water.
Just before your Pasta is ready save 1/5 a cup of Pasta water and add half of it to your fat/garlic pan bringing the mixture to a gentle boil. You save the other half of the water in case you need to add a bit more to your sauce if it has gotten too thick.
Drain your Pasta about 1 minute before its al dente. (To the tooth. It means a bit of bite when you chew on it.)
Keep stirring the pasta water to create an emulsion which will become your sauce. When it has begun to thicken add the pasta in and finish cooking it in the skillet with your sauce. Keep stirring to cover all of the pasta with the sauce. Stir until it has a glossy finish, and has coated all the pasta lightly. Just before you’re going to plate your pasta stir in the Pancetta, and add lots of cracked black Pepper.
Finish it with Pecorino cheese, if you like, or eat it as is. Go easy salting everything because the pancetta and cheese are salty. From my Family table to yours remember to share, like and always #EatwiththoseyouLove TM
Love,
Peter
Find more recipes at https://www.pastaboypeter.com/blog/
Pasta Alla Gricia Recipe
Copyright Peter Ciuffa of Pasta Boy Peter Inc.
