Dinner: Pasta alla Gricia

Recipe by Leonardo Vignoli, Da Cesare al Casaletto, Rome Both guanciale and Pecorino are quite salty; Leonardo Vignoli, the chef at Da Cesare al Casaletto, recommends undersalting the pasta water to give you more control.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces guanciale (salt-cured pork jowl), cut into 3/4" pieces
8 ounces rigatoni
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, preferably ground with a mortar and pestle
3 ounces Pecorino Romano, finely grated on the small holes of a box grater (about 3 cups)

Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet over mediumlow. Cook guanciale, stirring often, until it starts to brown and crisp, 10 –15 minutes; it will shrink dramatically as the fat renders. Transfer to a small bowl with a slotted spoon; reserve skillet (do not wipe out).
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling lightly salted water, stirring occasionally, until pasta is about halfway cooked (not quite al dente); drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
Add 3/4 cup pasta cooking liquid to reserved skillet and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, swirling often to encourage drippings and liquid to emulsify, about 1 minute. Add pasta and cook, tossing often and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until pasta is al dente and a thick, glossy sauce forms, 5 –7 minutes (this second cooking is why you undercook the pasta initially).
Increase heat to medium-high. Add guanciale, pepper, and two-thirds of Pecorino; toss well to combine and melt cheese. Serve pasta topped with remaining Pecorino.