La Gricia Recipes

PASTA ALLA GRICIA

Steps:

• Add the bacon to a large skillet. Place over medium heat and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 20 minutes. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan. Stir in the pepper and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Season it generously with salt. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions, about 8 minutes. Add 1 cup of the pasta water to the pan with the bacon, return the pan to medium-high heat and cook, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon, until slightly reduced, about 1 minute.
• Using tongs, remove the pasta from the water and add it directly to the pan with the sauce. Sprinkle the pasta with the cheese and begin to toss the pasta with the sauce. Continue to stir over low heat and toss until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta and the pasta is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. (Through this process, you may need to add more pasta water to help cook the pasta and maintain a sauce. This could take up to a cup more pasta water.) Serve topped with more cheese if desired.

PASTA ALLA GRICIA RECIPE

Steps:

• Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or medium pot, bring 3 quarts of water and 2 teaspoons kosher salt to a boil over high heat. Set a colander inside a large heatproof bowl in the sink. Add rigatoni to water and cook, stirring frequently during the first minute to prevent pasta from sticking.
• Once pasta has cooked for 4 minutes 30 seconds, transfer 2 cups (475ml) of starchy pasta water to skillet. Return skillet to high heat and bring to a boil, swirling to emulsify pasta water with guanciale fat.
• When pasta has cooked for a total of 5 minutes, drain in prepared colander, then transfer pasta to skillet (the pasta will be very undercooked at this point, but it will continue cooking in the skillet); reserve drained pasta water.

SPAGHETTI ALLA GRICIA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally.
• While pasta cooks, immediately heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add guanciale and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1 ladle of pasta cooking water, stir, and cover pan. As pasta cooks, add another ladle of cooking water to the pan with the guanciale to create a sauce.
• At about 10 minutes of pasta cooking time, reserve a cup of cooking water and drain pasta. Add spaghetti to the pan with the guanciale; toss, adding reserved cooking water if necessary. Turn off heat. Add 1/3 the Pecorino Romano cheese to the pasta and toss until creamy.
• Divide pasta between 4 plates. Top each with remaining Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper. Serve immediately.

JIM LAHEY'S NO-KNEAD PIZZA MARGHERITA

Steps:

• To make dough: In a large bowl, mix the flour, yeast, and salt. Add water and stir until blended (the dough will be very sticky). Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 12 to 24 hours in a warm spot, about 70 degrees.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle the top with flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Shape the dough into 3 or 4 balls, depending on how thick you want the crust. Generously sprinkle a clean cotton towel with flour and cover the dough with it. Let the dough rise for 2 hours.
• To make sauce: Blanch tomato for 5 seconds in boiling water and quickly remove. Allow to cool to the touch. Peel the skin with your hands and quarter the tomato. Remove the jelly and seeds, and reserve in a strainer or fine sieve. Strain the jelly to remove seeds, and combine resulting liquid in a bowl with the flesh of the tomatoes. Proceed to crush the tomatoes with your hands. Add salt and olive oil and stir.
• To make pizza: Place pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat on high broil. Stretch or toss the dough into a disk approximately 10 inches in diameter. Pull rack out of oven and place the dough on top of the preheated pizza stone. Drizzle 5 generous tablespoons of sauce over the dough, and spread evenly. Try to keep the sauce about ½ inch away from the perimeter of the dough. Break apart or slice the buffalo mozzarella and arrange over the dough. Return rack and pizza stone to the middle of the oven and broil for approximately 6 minutes. Remove and top with basil, olive oil, and salt.

PASTA ALLA GRICIA

Steps:

• In a large nonstick pan, heat the olive oil, and then add the guanciale and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes, making sure that the meat does not get too crunchy and the garlic does not burn. Cook's Note: If you see that the garlic is browning too fast, remove it from the pan, finish the pork, and then add it again to the sauce.
• When the guanciale and the garlic are nice and golden brown, add the sage.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta to the water, and cook it about 2 minutes less than indicated on the box. Strain the pasta and add it to the saucepan over a medium-high heat, toss it around for a few seconds, then add the grated Pecorino, toss for one minute.
• Garnish with some grated Pecorino, a drop of extra-virgin olive oil, and some ground black pepper. Serve with a bottle of robust red wine.

BUCATINI ALLA GRICIA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of very lightly salted water to a boil. Cook bucatini in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until almost tender yet still pretty firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add guanciale and cook slowly until it has rendered all its fat and is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Drain bucatini and reserve cooking water.
• Transfer bucatini to the skillet with the guanciale and finish cooking the pasta in the pan juices, adding a little pasta water at a time until pasta has the right consistency. Stir in Pecorino Romano cheese and season with black pepper. Serve immediately.

PASTA ALLA GRICIA

Steps:

• Cook the guanciale in a large skillet over medium heat until deeply golden (adjust the heat as necessary to render the fat without burning the meat). The meaty parts should be browned and the fatty parts should be cooked but still slightly transparent. This will take 15 to 20 minutes. When it's done, add the black pepper and turn off the heat.
• Meanwhile, put a pot of salted water on to boil. When the water boils, cook the pasta until it's al dente, nearly but not quite done and still a bit chalky in the middle.
• When the guanciale has cooled a bit, and while the pasta is cooking, add 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water to the pan, turn the heat to high and reduce by about half.
• When the pasta is ready, use tongs to transfer it to the pan with the sauce. Stir the pasta as it finishes cooking, adding more pasta cooking water if necessary until the pasta is done and the sauce thick and creamy. Add half the cheese and a pinch of pepper, and stir vigorously to incorporate.
• Divide the pasta among four dishes, and dust each with the remaining pecorino.

LA GRICIA

Steps:

• Set a large pot (at least 4 quarts) of cold water to boil. When the water reaches a boil, toss in a pinch of salt. When the water returns to a rolling boil, add the penne; cook until al dente.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a pan and add the pancetta. Saute until the pancetta is a dark pink (be sure it does not turn crisp and golden).
• When the penne are cooked, drain them well (do not rinse) and transfer them to a warm bowl. Add the pecorino and an abundant amount of fresh pepper. Top with pancetta and oil, toss thoroughly and serve.