Amatriciana, Cacio e pepe, Carbonara, Gricia

Carbonara: anything but easy to make

The ingredients are few, but this does not mean that the recipe - whose origin is still debated - is simple to make. Mistakes are lurking: shredded eggs, thick sauce, burnt bacon and pepper. Then whether the pasta is long or short is just a matter of taste... Well prepared, it is a first course to enjoy.

One of the (pleasant) characteristics of traditional Roman cuisine was the ability to create delicious dishes, based on ingredients of rural and peasant origin. Just think of the role of meat: the saltimbocca and the famous lamb were destined for the feast day. For the rest, lots of vegetables, cheeses from the region or at most from Abruzzo and pasta. In this, Roman chefs have been exceptional because they have managed - over time, in some cases over centuries - to create a poker of great delicacy. Carbonara, amatriciana, cacio e pepe and gricia represent a "block" that is impossible to escape if you live in or pass through the capital. 

AMATRICIANA SAUCE RECIPE

Ingredients: The ingredients, referring to the preparation of 500 g of pasta, are: - 125 g of "Guanciale Amatriciano".; - a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil; - a dash of dry white wine; - 6 or 7 San Marzano tomatoes or 400 g of quality peeled tomatoes; - a piece of fresh or dried chili pepper (if necessary); - salt and pepper to taste. Method: Brown the "Guanciale Amatriciano" in a strictly iron pan, lightly browning in extra virgin olive oil, well cleansed from the rind and cut into long strips. Add the white wine and black pepper to taste, and possibly the chili pepper, and cook over low heat for a few minutes until the guanciale is lightly golden, taking great care that it does not brown too much, a fundamental rule for the success of the recipe. Remove the strips of guanciale from the pan, drain well and keep them aside, if possible, warm, thus avoiding the risk of them becoming too dry and salty. Add the sliced tomatoes and remove the seeds, having previously blanched them, or use 400 g of quality peeled tomatoes. 

For the Amatriciana Sauce recipe, as is the case with many traditional Italian recipes, everyone has their own trick and their own "familiar" and "official" recipe. But there is a "sum", the "perfect recipe". It is the one codified by the municipality of Amatrice, which has designated Amatriciana as a recipe with a Municipal Denomination and has drawn up a specification. It's the classic recipe, in two versions. The first is the "white" one, which we all actually know as "gricia", which is the original recipe, the one born with the shepherds of Amatrice who in the period of transhumance brought with them a few ingredients, easy to preserve, to prepare a meal: guanciale, aged pecorino cheese and flour. The second is the "red" one, born with the introduction of the tomato in the eighteenth century when the Neapolitans recognized the organoleptic qualities of the tomato and consequently, the Amatriciani (Amatrice at that time was part of the Kingdom of Naples), who added it to the traditional recipe.

Pasta alla gricia (pasta with guanciale) is one of the most famous dishes of Lazio cuisine, considered the ancestor of pasta amatriciana. As with the recipe for the amatriciana, in fact, it includes guanciale and Pecorino Romano cheese. The main difference lies in the tomato sauce, which is absent in pasta alla gricia because its origin even predates the importation of tomatoes into Europe. It is said that pasta alla gricia was invented by the shepherds of Lazio, who, with the few ingredients they had available, prepared this simple but equally tasty and substantial dish. You can choose to add a long type of pasta like bucatini, or a short one like rigatoni!

INGREDIENTS

Rigatoni  (320 g)

Guanciale (250 g) - (already peppered)

Pecorino Romano PDO cheese ½ cup (60 g) - to grate

Fine salt to taste

PREPARATION

To prepare pasta alla gricia, first place a pot full of water on the burner that will be used to cook the pasta. At this point take the guanciale and cut slices 1/2" (1 cm) 1 thick. Then separate any rind that may be present (you can keep it in the fridge and use it in other recipes, such as soups) and from the slices you get strips about 1/8" (half a cm) thick. Pour the guanciale into a pan already hot, without adding more fat. Let it sizzle on medium heat for about ten minutes until it is golden and crisp, taking care not to burn it. In the meantime the water will have come to a boil, salt and cook the pasta; while the pasta cooks, finely grate Pecorino cheese. When 2 minutes are left before the pasta is done, slow down the cooking of the guanciale by adding a ladle of cooking water. The cooking of the guanciale will stop and the starch released from the pasta will create a pleasant cream. Jiggle the pan a little bit to move the pieces of guanciale. At this point your pasta is done, add it directly to the sauce, preserving the cooking water. Stir for about 1 minute, shake the pan and stir. Then remove the pan from the heat, sprinkle with a third of grated Pecorino cheese and add a little more cooking water if necessary. Stir and toss the pasta again; you will notice that a tasty cream will have been created. You can then serve pasta alla gricia and garnish each plate with the remaining Pecorino cheese.

STORAGE

I recommend eating immediately. If you prefer, pasta alla gricia can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 day. Freezing is not recommended.

TIPS

Guanciale should be cooked in a hot pan over medium heat, checking occasionally to avoid burning it. If the guanciale you use is not already peppered on the outside, add grated black pepper to taste while cooking.

"Yes, life is a butt, here you stub well". This is one of the typical phrases that introduce menus in Roman trattorias or fraschette. But Carbonara and amatriciana, like spaghetti cacio e pepe, have now become symbolic dishes of Italian nature, made with PDO ingredients linked to the traditions of the territories in which they were born. 

INGREDIENTS

Spaghetti 320 g

Medium-aged Pecorino Romano , to be grated 200 g

Black peppercorns 5 g

PREPARATION

To prepare spaghetti cacio e pepe, first put a pot with water on the stove to cook the pasta: fill it with about half of the water you usually use, in this way it will be richer in starch. In the meantime, grate the Pecorino Romano and transfer almost all of it to a bowl, keeping a little aside for serving. When the water has come to a boil, add a moderate salt and dip the spaghetti. Meanwhile, crush the peppercorns with a meat mallet (or use a grinder leaving it rather slow so that you also have larger pieces of pepper). Pour the pepper into a large non-stick pan and toast it over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. Deglaze with a couple of ladles of the pasta cooking water. Keep stirring over low heat. Drain the spaghetti 2-3 minutes before the time indicated on the package and transfer them to the pan, taking care to preserve the cooking water. Finish cooking the spaghetti in the pan, risotto, then add hot water as needed and stirring continuously with tongs. Wait until the bottom of the pan is almost dry before adding more water. You can prepare the Pecorino cream (do not start earlier because it would tend to congeal or be too cold compared to the temperature of the pasta): pour a ladle of hot cooking water into the bowl with the grated Pecorino cheese, then stir vigorously with a hand whisk. The consistency you will have to get is more pasty than creamy, don't worry if it will be very dry. If, once the cream is ready, the pasta is not ready for creaming, place the bowl briefly on the pot with the hot water, continuing to stir with the whisk, so as to have the cream at a temperature similar to that of the pasta. When the spaghetti is cooked, turn off the heat and add the Pecorino cream, stirring constantly with tongs. For the ideal creaminess, adjust by adding more Pecorino or a little cooking water as needed. Serve your spaghetti cacio e pepe sprinkled with the remaining grated Pecorino cheese and more freshly ground pepper to taste!

PRESERVATION

It is recommended to consume the spaghetti cacio e pepe immediately. Any form of storage is not recommended.

ADVICE

It is important that the pasta cooking water is rich in starch because it will help you obtain a creamy sauce without lumps. If you prefer to test your ability to make cacio e pepe, the advice is to make half a dose so that it is easier to manage the ingredients of the cream cheese. Lovers of short pasta can use mezze maniche or rigatoni instead of spaghetti! There is also a tasty version with pici, typical of Tuscany. A gem? If you want to slightly "degrease" the dish, you can grate a little lemon zest into the Pecorino cream: purists won't want it.