Pasta alla gricia con carciofi
Pasta with Guanciale, Pecorino Cheese and Sliced Artichoke Hearts
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 250g 8 oz tagliolini, tonnarelli, rigatoni or another pasta of your choice
- 150g 4 oz guanciale cut into strips
- 2 small artichokes (about 150g/5 oz each untrimmed) trimmed and cut into slivers
- 125g 4 oz pecorino romano cheese freshly grated
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil or lard if needed
- 1 lemon for trimming the artichokes
Instructions
- Put a large pot of well salted water on the boil for the pasta.
- Trim the artichokes of their tough outers leaves and chokes. Then slice them into slivers. Immerse them immediately in acidulated water.
- In a large sauté pan, braise or wok, gently sauté the strips of guanciale until they are golden brown and have rendered most of their fat. (If the guanciale is on the lean side, you can add some oil or lard to the pan to help things along.) Remove and reserve the guanciale.
- Add the sliced artichoke the same pan. Stir and let the artichokes sauté gently in the rendered fat for a minute or two, seasoning with just a tiny pinch of salt and abundant pepper. Drizzle with water, enough to cover the bottom of the pan, and let the artichokes simmer until tender. Add more water if needed. Once the artichokes are tender, let any excess liquid in the pan evaporate almost (but not quite) completely.
- When the artichokes are almost tender, throw the pasta into salted boiling water and cook until al dente.
- Just before the pasta is done, mix a small ladleful of the pasta water with the grated pecorino with fork or whisk in a small mixing bowl until you have a kind of smooth cream.
- Now transfer the pasta to the pan with the sautéed artichokes, along with the reserved guanciale and the pecorino cream. Toss everything together quickly over the very lowest flame you can manage until well mixed and the pecorino cream clings loosely to the pasta. (If things feel a little dry, moisten with a bit of pasta water. If they're too loose, keep tossing over very low heat until the sauce thickens.) NB: The pasta shouldn't ordinarily need further seasoning as the guanciale and cheese are both quite savory, but taste it just in case.
- Serve immediately, with more grated cheese and a pepper grinder at hand for those who want.