Ingredientes:

  • 400g short pasta (Rigatoni or Mezze Maniche)
  • 250g authentic guanciale cut into 1 cm strips
  • 150g finely grated Pecorino Romano DOP cheese
  • 2 tablespoons toasted and ground black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt for pasta water

Instrucciones:

  1. Place the guanciale in a large cold pan and turn on the heat to medium-low to render the fat slowly until golden and crispy.
  2. Remove half of the crispy guanciale from the pan and set aside for final plating; keep the rendered fat in the pan.
  3. Cook the pasta in boiling water with little salt, removing it two minutes before al dente to finish cooking in the pan.
  4. Transfer the pasta to the pan with the guanciale fat, adding a ladleful of starchy cooking water to start the emulsion over medium heat.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat (mantecatura) and incorporate the Pecorino Romano cheese and toasted black pepper, stirring vigorously until a silky cream is created.
  6. Serve immediately, garnishing with the reserved crispy guanciale and an extra touch of pepper.