Italian Recipes

Featured Recipe: Spaghetti Alla Gricia

The key ingredient in Spaghetti alla Gricia is guanciale, cured pork jowl. Guanciale is also traditionally used in the classic Roman Pasta dishes, Bucatini all'Amatriciana and Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Since guanciale is not easy to find outside of Rome and the Lazio region in Italy, and until recently impossible anywhere else, substituting pancetta for the guanciale in those dishes has become commonplace. However, I would not make that substitution with this dish, because guanciale is the centrepiece here, and it would not be the same. Spaghetti alla Gricia, is sometimes referred to as Amatriciana in Bianco, which means White Amatriciana, because it is made without tomatoes.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

You should be able to get the pancetta for this recipe at a local Italian deli or specialty store. Bucatini is thick rod shaped pasta with a hole in the centre. If you prefer you could also spice this dish up a little by adding a pinch of crushed red pepper with the garlic

Serves 4

2 tblsp of olive oil

1/4 of a pound pancetta, chopped

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 28 oz can of imported Italian tomatoes

salt & pepper to taste

1 pound of bucatini pasta

1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until golden about 1 minute longer.

Crush tomatoes and add with juices to pan. Add salt & pepper and a little water. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the bucatini. Cook uncovered over high heat until al dente.

Drain the pasta, then add the pasta and 1/4 cup of the Pecorino Pomano to the sauce in the saucepan and toss well. Transfer to warm serving plates and serve immediately, with the remaining Pecorino Romano on the side.