Pasta alla Gricia
Pasta carbonara is a standard dinner in our house and a comfort food for many but getting the egg to cook just right in the warm pasta can be a bit of a challenge. Cacio e Pepe is a similar dish. It has become popular again over the past couple years, perhaps because it is made up of basic staples, we have in our pantries already. The following recipe for Pasta alla Gricia is a kind of twist on both but as my research discovered, Pasta alla Gricia was the original recipe and the other two are riffs on it.
Pasta alla Gricia is said to have been served in Roman taverns as early as 400 AD. There are several theories about the origin of the name: one is that gricia (which loosely translates as grey) refers to the color the ingredients turned when cooked. With that very unappetizing image it’s a wonder the dish is still popular! A more convincing theory is that the name comes from a romanesco term gricio meaning simple. The local/corner shops were called grici. Another theory is that the name came from the local bakers who were called grigioni. Besides baking bread for the neighborhood, these bakers discovered that their ovens that were constantly warm kept their houses the perfect temperature for curing meat.
Guanciale, an Italian cured pork cheek, is called for in this recipe adapted from Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons cookbook. You may want to substitute pancetta for this recipe though, —it is easier to find. The mixture of the butter with the toasted cracked peppercorns and cheese is really the secret sauce here. It melts into the warm pasta, coating it with a cheesy, slightly spicy flavor. Pecorino Romano is made from sheep’s milk, has a salty nutty taste, adding another layer of flavor. The sauce has become my go-to pasta sauce when I am short on time and am craving comfort food.
A couple of suggestions: Don’t skip the step of toasting the peppercorns. You will still get the heat, but the flavor is subtle, not sharp. You can substitute Parmesan cheese for the Romano cheese, but the nutty flavor of Romano really works well here
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 oz. uncooked linguini, spaghetti, or fettuccini
4 oz. pancetta diced or torn into bite sized pieces
¾ lb. snap peas washed and thinly sliced
Directions:
Add water and a couple tablespoons of salt to a large stock pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
In a small sauté pan toast the peppercorns over medium heat until fragrant (4-5 minutes). Toss into a mortar and pestle and grind to a coarse texture. Add to the butter along with the grated cheese and combine thoroughly. Set aside.
When the water is boiling add the pasta and cook about 2 minutes less than the directed time on the package; add the snap peas.
Now put the skillet back on a low heat, add the pancetta and ½ cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta snap pea combo and add to the pan, toss along with the butter mixture, add a pinch of salt to taste, a dusting of cheese, and serve.
