Grica, or pasta alla gricia, is one of the oldest Roman pastas with four simple ingredients. The dish has a unique and salty flavor that comes from the addition of guanciale and pecorino Romano. Pasta alla gricia also comes together quickly and can be made in less than 30 minutes.
Pasta alla gricia comes from the Lazio region of Italy, and over time has become known as one of the famous Roman pastas along with carbonara, cacio e pepe, and amatriciana. Likely a precursor to amatriciana before tomatoes were used in Italian cooking, and possibly invented in the Amatrice area of Lazio, it is also sometimes referred to as “amatriciana bianca” or “white amatriciana.”
Like many traditional Italian dishes, pasta alla gricia is made with simple, quality ingredients. The simple ingredient list involves just guanciale, black pepper, pecorino Romano, and pasta. While gricia is probably the lesser known of the famous Roman pastas outside of Italy, this is probably my favorite of the four.
📜 Origins
Like many traditional recipes with 100s of years of history, the exact origin is unknown. A popular and plausible theory is that it was created in the Amatrice area near the border of Lazio and Abruzzo. The shepherds of the area would typically carry sustainable ingredients with them as they worked, such as lard, dry pasta, pecorino, and black pepper.
There are also two theories behind the name of the dish. Some people claim the dish was created in the small town of Grisciano, near Amatrice, and derived its name from that. The other, and possibly more likely theory, is that the name came from the Romanesco word “gricio” who were sellers of bread and other foods in Rome.
🥘 Ingredients
As mentioned before, the list of ingredients is simple, but using quality ingredients makes the biggest difference here. There are a few acceptable substitutes, which I’ll go over later.
Pasta – Obviously, for a pasta dish, you’ll need some pasta. I prefer short pasta here, such as rigatoni, mezze rigatoni, penne, etc. But a long pasta also works, such as spaghetti or bucatini if you prefer that.
Guanciale – If you don’t do a lot of Italian cooking, this protein may sound unfamiliar to you. Guanciale is a seasoned and cured cut of pig cheek, or pork jowl. It is very popular in Italy but can be a little more difficult to find depending on where you live. If you can buy it, I definitely recommend trying it. The next best option would be pancetta, which is more widely available and like guanciale but comes from pork belly instead.
Cheese – Like the other Roman pastas, the cheese of choice for amatriciana is pecorino. If you’re not familiar with it, Pecorino Romano comes from the Lazio region of Italy and is made from sheep’s milk. Be sure to grate the cheese instead of shredding it for it to melt more easily.
Pepper – Black pepper is the only real seasoning other than salted water for the pasta. Like the other famous Roman pasta dishes, fresh herbs and additional seasoning aren’t typically used. Use fresh, coarsely ground black pepper and it to the sauce to taste.
🥓 Using Guanciale
If you’re not familiar with guanciale, it’s a type of cured pork that is cut from the cheek or jowl of a pig. It is then seasoned with salt, pepper, and herbs and cured for at least 3 months. Pancetta is similar but is cut from pork belly and cured from anywhere between 20 days and 4 months. Bacon is like pancetta, coming from pork belly, but is typically smoked which gives it a different flavor profile when used in Italian dishes. Guanciale also has a much higher ratio of fat to meat, which contributes to the flavor of dishes as the fat renders and is emulsified into the pan sauces.
In the US, the import of guanciale and other cured meats from Italy was banned from the 1970s until 2013, which has contributed to the obscurity of this ingredient in the country. Depending on where you live, it may be difficult to find this product. There are several online retailers that will ship it though, and if you can source it, it’s worth trying out.
If you can’t find it, I would recommend pancetta as the best alternative, which is more widely available at many grocery stores. If pancetta is still difficult to find or seems too expensive, bacon can be used instead. Be sure to use decent quality bacon though and look for the thickest butcher cut you can find, do not use thin bacon.
If you’re not used to using Guanciale, here’s a quick tutorial on breaking down a chunk of it for cooking.
One side will have the skin on it. Using a sharp knife, remove the skin. You can discard this as it’s not very edible or save it for a stock flavoring.
Lay the guanciale flat and you’ll slice it with the grain. You should see a thin strip of meat between two layers of fat. Slice the guanciale around a ¼” thick, or about 3mm, roughly like thick cut bacon. Now turn those slices flat against the cutting board and slice against the grain into small strips, or lardons, about the same thickness as before.
Pan fry guanciale over medium-low to medium heat. As it cooks, the fat will render and create plenty of oil to cook itself in, so no added oil is needed.
🧀 Using Pecorino Romano
Pecorino Romano is an Italian cheese made from sheep’s milk and is famous in the Lazio region of Italy. It is a hard, salty cheese typically aged 8 months or longer for a grating cheese or as little as 5 months for a table cheese. Look for the 8+ month version for cooking applications. In the US, you may find cheese labeled “Romano”, but this is NOT the same and is a milder cheese made with cow’s milk.
When using pecorino in sauce recipes, the trick is to grate the cheese. Buy whole wedges and, using a box grater or something similar, grate the cheese, do not shred it. Grating the cheese allows it to melt more easily and smoothly when tossed with pasta, whereas shredding the cheese can leave a stringy texture that doesn’t fully emulsify properly.
One last important note when using both guanciale and Pecorino Romano in cooking is that both ingredients are salty. Normally when cooking pasta, the saying goes that the water should be “as salty as the Mediterranean Sea.” When using both ingredients however, you should salt the water about half as much as normal, otherwise the finished pasta dishes can be overly salty tasting,
🔪 How to Make
Begin by slicing the guanciale into small strips or cubes and set aside. Grate the pecorino into a bowl and coarsely grind the black peppercorns into the cheese and mix to combine and set aside as well.
In a large pot, bring enough water to a boil and add salt. Once boiling, add your pasta and cook about a minute or so less than it recommends for al dente. Meanwhile, add the guanciale to a large skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and turned translucent.
Pour a little of the pasta water into the bowl with the pecorino and black pepper in and mix until a thick paste forms. Set it aside for now. When the guanciale is nice and crispy, remove from the pan and set aside. Turn the heat down to low but leave the rendered fat in the pan. Reserve some of the pasta water in a glass measuring cup, or coffee mug, then transfer the pasta into the pan with the fat drippings. Stir and toss to combine thoroughly.
Turn off the heat and add the pecorino and black pepper paste, and some of the reserved pasta water into the pan. Immediately begin stirring and tossing until the pecorino has melted into a velvety sauce and coats all the pasta. Add more of the pasta water if necessary. Add the reserved guanciale and mix with the sauced pasta.
Once fully mixed and the sauce is creamy, immediately plate and serve. Garnish with some grated pecorino and coarse black pepper.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
The main difference is the inclusion of an egg in carbonara when making the pecorino and black pepper paste. While both can be made with short or long pastas, carbonara also tends to be made with spaghetti and gricia is more often made with a short pasta like rigatoni.
The only real difference between the two is guanciale. While gricia includes meat, cacio e pepe is simply pasta with cheese and black pepper. Cacio e pepe also tends to be a little heavier handed with the amount of cheese and black pepper used. Like carbonara, cacio e pepe also tends to be made more often with a long pasta also.
There are also two theories behind the name of the dish. Some people claim the dish was created in the small town of Grisciano, near Amatrice, and derived its name from that. The other, and possibly more likely theory, is that the name came from the Romanesco word “gricio” who were sellers of bread and other foods in Rome.
Like carbonara, pasta alla gricia is best eaten the day it is cooked. If you do make too much and want to save it, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. I wouldn’t recommend freezing it, however.
📋 Recipe
Pasta alla Gricia
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dry pasta, I used mezze rigatoni here
- 8 ounces guanciale, cut into strips or cubes
- 1 cup pecorino Romano, freshly grated
- Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste, see note
Directions
- Begin by slicing the guanciale into 8 ounces of small strips or cubes and set aside. Grate the 1 cup of pecorino into a bowl and coarsely grind the black peppercorns (about two teaspoons) into the cheese and mix to combine and set aside as well.
- In a large pot, bring enough water to a boil and add salt. Once boiling, add 12 ounces of your pasta and cook about a minute or so less than it recommends for al dente. Meanwhile, add the guanciale to a large skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and turned translucent.
- Pour a little of the pasta water into the bowl with the pecorino and black pepper in and mix until a thick paste forms. Set it aside for now. When the guanciale is nice and crispy, remove from the pan and set aside. Turn the heat down to low but leave the rendered fat in the pan. Reserve some of the pasta water in a glass measuring cup, or coffee mug, then transfer the pasta into the pan with the fat drippings. Stir and toss to combine thoroughly.
- Turn off the heat and add the pecorino and black pepper paste, and some of the reserved pasta water into the pan. Immediately begin stirring and tossing until the pecorino has melted into a velvety sauce and coats all the pasta. Add more of the pasta water if necessary. Add the reserved guanciale and mix with the sauced pasta.
- Once fully mixed and the sauce is creamy, immediately plate and serve. Garnish with some grated pecorino and coarse black pepper.
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