Gricia
Gricia is short for “pasta alla Gricia”: one of the four classic Roman pastas using guanciale, black pepper and pecorino cheese-it is sublime!
This pasta alla gricia is the fourth of the four Roman pastas that I am sharing with you and which you may have heard of via Stanely Tucci, if you’re not familiar with authentic Italian dishes.
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I’ll recap the other three below, but they are all related in one form or another, did you know this?
What is Gricia?
Gricia is the short name for pasta alla gricia which is made with a handful of ingredients. It’s another quick and easy pasta which is ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta: honest! Pasta alla gricia is made using guanciale (cured, savory pork cheek), black pepper, Pecorino Romano and pasta–normally rigatoni or mezze maniche, or a similar short, tube-y pasta shape.
It’s not only quick and easy, but it’s creamy, salty, chewy and oh, so delicious!
Why This Gricia Recipe Works?
This recipe is the classic Roman way to make the dish, it’s so easy, but you have to do it correctly, or it won’t taste the way it should. Use poor quality pasta, or sub another cheese for really good Pecorino and it’s going to go awry. Top quality ingredients are critical when there are only four of them.
The Connection of the Four Roman Pastas
Gricia is amatriciana pasta without the tomato sauce.
Gricia is also cacio e pepe with added guanciale.
And finally, pasta alla gricia is carbonara without the eggs! Now you know all the versions of Roman pastas and will be able to differentiate them when you go to Italy! Do you have a favorite? You can read about pasta alla gricia here in National Geographic Traveller.
Read my post on visiting Rome, too!
NOTE: it is very difficult to source guanciale and even more difficult to source good guanciale in the US, so if you can’t find it, substitute pancetta. While Romans would not be okay with this, under the circumstances, it is better than using bacon.
Gricia Recipe
A classic Roman dish Serves 5
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- pasta (rigatoni or similar pasta-good quality, 100% durum wheat semolina from Italian wheat)
- sea salt
- guanciale
- Pecorino Romano
- black pepper, freshly ground
Directions
Cook the pasta in salted, boiling according to the package directions. While it is cooking (and you stir it so it doesn’t stick) make the sauce.
Fry the guanciale without any oil. It will release enough fat on its own.
Cook until slightly crisp, then remove from the pan.
Add some of the pasta water to the Pecorino cheese and stir to combine.
Add black pepper to the pan (do not throw away the fat!)
When the pasta is almost al dente, remove it and add it to the pan with the fat and black pepper. The burner should be off when you add the wet cheese.
Toss it well.
Add the guanciale and toss again.
Serve immediately, offering more Pecorino to sprinkle on top! Buon appetito!
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Gricia Recipe
Special Equipment
- 1 grater
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni or similar pasta
- 1 tsp sea salt or Kosher salt, more or less as needed
- 8 oz guanciale (use pancetta if you can't source guanciale)
- ¼ tsp black pepper freshly ground, more or less to taste
- 3.5 oz Pecorino Romano DOP finely grated (about a cup)
Instructions
- Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Salt the water well when it is almost boiling then toss in the pasta and keep stirring as it cooks. Cook as directed until almost al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, slice the guanciale into strips.
- Heat a large saucepan (which can accomodate a pound of pasta) over medium heat, then add the guanciale strips (there’s no need to add oil.)
- When the guanciale is golden brown and starting to crisp, turn off the heat and put the guanciale in a bowl.
- Add the ground black pepper to the fat in the pan.
- Take some of the pasta water and mix it into the Pecorino cheese to form the sauce.
- When the pasta is almost al dente, drain it and add it to the fat and black pepper in the pan, but RESERVE THE PASTA WATER. Next, add the creamy Pecorino to the pasta and toss to combine (off the heat.)
- Gently mix the sauce and pasta together. Add in the guanciale and mix again.
- Plate into five bowls immediately. Sprinkle with more cheese and serve.
Notes
- Given the difficulty of finding guanciale in the US, use pancetta if you cannot source it, but know that Italians will scoff at this, not knowing our pain!
- I always recommend buying a chunk of cheese and grating it yourself so you are sure of what you are buying. I’ve never heard of a recall on a hard piece of cheese, but many for bags of grated cheese.
Nutrition
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