Rigatoni alla gricia

Method

1. Cut the rind off the guanciale and cut the meat into strips of about 0.5 × 1 × 3 cm. Finely grate the pecorino and crush the pepper coarsely.
2. Put the guanciale into a cold, wide pan without any fat and render it over low to medium heat for about 10 minutes until golden with crisp edges. Lift the strips onto a plate with a slotted spoon and leave the fat in the pan.
   TipRendering bacon and lardBacon needs patience: on gentle heat its fat runs out and it crisps, on fierce heat it burns outside and stays rubbery within.Why and howShow less

   Why

   The fat in bacon and in pork back fat is held in the cells of fatty tissue bound together by connective tissue; heat liquefies the fat so it gradually runs out, the water evaporates, and the lean parts shrink and turn crisp. This takes time, which is why bacon goes into a cold pan, even with a little water, and is heated over medium heat: the water keeps the temperature low at first, the fat renders before the surface scorches, and the bacon crisps evenly. In a fiercely hot pan the surface burns, the fat blackens and smokes, and the fatty parts stay rubbery. Pork fat for cracklings is rendered over gentle heat with frequent stirring until the cracklings are light brown and crush easily; overcooked cracklings give dark lard with a burnt taste. Bacon cured with nitrite also forms nitrosamines when fried over fierce heat, and EFSA regards dietary exposure to nitrosamines as a health concern, so this is one more reason to fry bacon until crisp, not black.

   How to do it

   1. Cut the bacon into slices, strips or cubes of even thickness, spread it in a cold pan in a single layer and, if you like, add about 4 tablespoons of water.
   2. Heat over medium heat and turn it now and then; the water evaporates and the bacon then keeps frying in its own fat.
   3. Take the bacon out as soon as it is golden brown; it crisps further on paper towel, and if it is dark while still in the pan, it is overcooked.
   4. Cut pork fat for cracklings into even cubes and render it in a heavy pot over gentle heat, stirring often, until the cracklings turn golden.
   5. Carefully strain the hot lard through a sieve into dry jars and keep it covered in the fridge once cool; never add water to hot fat, it boils up violently and spatters.
   6. Use the fat rendered from bacon to soften onions or vegetables; let the rest set and put it in the bin, not down the drain.

   If it goes wrong

   Put rubbery bacon back in the pan and let it keep rendering slowly over gentle heat until it crisps. Burnt bacon cannot be saved, it is bitter; take fat that has blackened or smoked heavily off the heat, let it cool a little, pour it carefully into a dry container and carry on in a clean pan. If the cracklings catch on the bottom before they release their fat, lower the heat and stir more often. Lard that has darkened and smells scorched is edible, but use it only where a stronger flavour does no harm.

   Full card

3. Bring 3 litres of water with 20 g of salt to the boil and cook the rigatoni 2–3 minutes less than the packet says (usually 9–10 minutes). Set aside about 200 ml of the pasta water and drain the rigatoni.
   TipCooking pastaPasta water isn't waste, it's liquid glue that talks the sauce into clinging to the pasta.Why and howShow less

   Why

   In the first minutes of boiling, starch is released from the surface of the pasta and it turns sticky; plenty of rapidly boiling water and a stir at that point stop it clumping, and the water doesn't cool down as much when the pasta goes in. Salt only gets into pasta while it cooks, which is why the water is salted generously, roughly 10 g per litre; that amount has a negligible effect on the boiling point, and oil in the water is pointless because it floats on top and doesn't prevent sticking. The cooking water is full of dissolved starch that thickens the sauce and helps its fat combine with water into a smooth emulsion that clings to the pasta. That is why pasta isn't rinsed after draining – you would wash off the starch the sauce holds on to and cool the pasta down; the only exception is pasta for a cold salad.

   How to do it

   1. Allow roughly a litre of water per 100 g of pasta and add about 10 g of salt per litre once it boils.
   2. Drop the pasta into rapidly boiling water and stir now and then for the first two minutes.
   3. Don't add oil to the water; it won't stop sticking.
   4. Cook a minute or two less than the packet says and keep tasting.
   5. Before draining, scoop out a mugful of the cooking water.
   6. Don't rinse the pasta; transfer it straight into the sauce and finish cooking it there with a little of the cooking water.

   If it goes wrong

   Loosen pasta that has stuck together in the sauce with a little hot cooking water, or dip it briefly in boiling water and stir. Overcooked pasta won't firm up again – bake it or add it to a soup, and next time start tasting earlier. Under-salted pasta can only be rescued by a well-seasoned sauce.

   Full card

4. Tip the rigatoni into the pan with the fat, add 100 ml of pasta water and toss over medium heat for 2–3 minutes until al dente and the water and fat have come together into a light, glossy emulsion.
5. Take the pan off the heat, let it cool for a moment and stir in 40 g of the pecorino and the pepper in portions, with a spoonful of pasta water if needed, so the sauce stays creamy and the cheese does not clump. Finally stir in the guanciale and serve at once, sprinkled with the remaining pecorino.