DISH RESEARCH · Noodle dish
Pasta alla Gricia
GialloZafferano’s selected pasta alla gricia uses rigatoni, peppered guanciale and Pecorino Romano. Portions of the same pasta water combine with the rendered cooking fat and cheese to make its creamy dressing.
About Pasta alla Gricia
Research draft based on the references below. These notes describe particular recipes and presentations; ingredient connections are still being reviewed.
GialloZafferano’s selected pasta alla gricia coats rigatoni in a creamy dressing of rendered guanciale fat, pasta water and Pecorino Romano. The peppered guanciale supplies a savoury contrast to the cheese sauce.
The guanciale is sliced, its rind removed and the remaining pieces cut into strips. These brown in a hot pan before being lifted out, leaving their own cooking fat behind.
Rigatoni cook in salted water while the Pecorino is finely grated. A ladle from that same pasta water is swirled into the rendered fat to begin the dressing.
The drained rigatoni finish cooking in the pan, releasing starch into the sauce. Off the heat, Pecorino and a little further pasta water are mixed quickly through the pasta before the guanciale returns.
The pasta is plated at once, with extra ground pepper optional. This selected rigatoni version keeps the dressing fluid and creamy while retaining the browned strips of guanciale.
Ingredients in Pasta alla Gricia
Recorded ingredient connections, rather than a complete recipe. Explore an ingredient for more detail.
- Durum Wheat Pastabase
- Pecorino Romanoother
- Guancialeother
- Black Pepperother
- Saltother
Ingredient connections awaiting review. Versions and preparation vary.
Origins & food traditions
Explore the countries and cooking traditions associated with this dish. These connections do not establish a single birthplace or limit where the dish is eaten today.