Fresh St. Market - Taste of Italian Cuisine - Pasta alla Gricia

guanciale

🥗Healthier: pancetta

💰Cheaper: bacon

Pancetta and bacon are more accessible alternatives that still provide a rich flavor.

Pecorino Romano cheese

🥗Healthier: Parmesan cheese

💰Cheaper: Grana Padano

Parmesan and Grana Padano are milder and more widely available.

Introduce the dish as Pasta alla Gricia, a classic Italian dish from Rome.

Mention that guanciale is pork jowl and can be substituted with pancetta, but not American or Canadian bacon due to high water content.

Introduce the cheeses: pecorino romano and pecorino crotonese, noting that pecorino crotonese is softer and has more depth of flavor.

Heat a medium pan for 3-4 minutes and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Add 6 ounces of chopped guanciale to the pan and stir to create an even layer, rendering the fat for 12-15 minutes until crispy.

While the guanciale cooks, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt until it tastes like seawater.

Add 8 ounces of penne pasta to the boiling water and cook for 7 minutes for al dente, which is 3 minutes less than the package instructions.

After 10 minutes, remove the crispy guanciale from the pan, reserving the fat in the pan.

Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid before draining the pasta.

Add the reserved pasta water to the pan with guanciale fat over medium heat and stir for 1 minute until emulsified.

Increase heat to high and add the drained penne to the pan, stirring to combine with the guanciale fat.

Add two-thirds of the shredded pecorino crotonese and two-thirds of the cracked black pepper, reserving the rest for garnish.

Toss the pasta until the cheese thickens the sauce, cooking for another minute.

Plate the pasta, adding any remaining sauce from the pan, and garnish with more pecorino crotonese and cracked black pepper.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens