Both gricia and amatriciana are traditional pasta sauces from Lazio and Rome. Both are based on guanciale, a pancetta-like cured meat, fatter than pancetta but not as fat as lardo and coated with black or red pepper.
Gricia While either spaghetti or fettuccine are boiling, cut the guanciale in thin slices, than cut the slices in pieces approx 1 cm wide. In a large pan, heat the guanciale until the fat melts and becomes transparent while the lean part gest slightly crispy. As the pasta is ready and al dente, drain it prserving a little of its water, toss the pasta with the guanciale and the preserved water. Garnish with grated pecorino romano cheese and a good sprinkling of black pepper.
Amatriciana In this case you can use spaghetti, bucatini or rigatoni. Start making the sauyce while you are waiting for the water to start boiling, because this one takes longer. Cut the guanciale as described above, and heat it until the fat melts etc. As it has become crispy, drain it and leave it aside, it will be added later to the recipe. Add peeled and seeded ripe tomatoes to the fat (cut in large bits) and let them cook for 10 minutes. add the guanciale back to the sauce, and a pinch of salt if needed. As the pasta is ready but very al dente, drain it (always preserve a little of its water) and toss it with the sauce. Add the water if it gets too dry. Sprinkle generously with grated pecorino romano.
Alice Twain -- Te recuerdo Amanda / la calle mojada / corriendo a la fabrica / donde trabajaba Manuel La sonrisa ancha / la lluvia en el pelo / no emportava nada / ibas a encontrarte con el Ese cinco menudos / la vita es eterna en cinco menudos Victor Jara
quote:Originally posted by Diva: they are made from the pig jowls instead of the belly!
Yep. By the way, the pic I used is from the Falorni site. I searched for a Roman guanciale pic, but I couldn't find any.
Alice Twain -- Te recuerdo Amanda / la calle mojada / corriendo a la fabrica / donde trabajaba Manuel La sonrisa ancha / la lluvia en el pelo / no emportava nada / ibas a encontrarte con el Ese cinco menudos / la vita es eterna en cinco menudos Victor Jara
The foto looks like much bigger guanciale than I bought in Rome, so the foto now makes sense. Mine are much thinner, and rubbes with black pepper and red chili pepper flakes! I am letting mine age some as they were very fresh.
quote:Originally posted by Diva: Mine are much thinner, and rubbes with black pepper and red chili pepper flakes!
And here's another way to use it for pasta, but I have never tried this. The recipe is from my friend Consuelo, my guanciale dealer ^_^
Alice Twain -- Te recuerdo Amanda / la calle mojada / corriendo a la fabrica / donde trabajaba Manuel La sonrisa ancha / la lluvia en el pelo / no emportava nada / ibas a encontrarte con el Ese cinco menudos / la vita es eterna en cinco menudos Victor Jara
Thanks for the link to the Falorni site, Alice. Lots of photos to make you drool (well, me, at any rate!). I see from Falorni's Gastronomia notes that they suggest guanciale for Carbonara, too. Is that what is normally used, or is ordinary pancetta more common for this?
Jonathan (about to go and cook carbonara for lunch: using english smoked bacon, unfortunately - which isn't too bad if you can find some decently dry-cured stuff. But the pasta is Poiatti Rustichelle, bought a couple of days ago in Sciacca: excellent pasta, to which I intend to return in a later thread!)
Posts: 2944 | Location: Stroud, UK | Registered: 18 November 2001
quote:Originally posted by Diva: An eggless carbonara!
Or a tomatoless amatriciana ^_^ By the way, according to a legend, Carbonara was created to meet the taste of the American soldiers in Italy durin WW2. They asked "eggs and bacon" (uova e pancetta) and the guy of the trattoria combined eggs, guanciale and pasta ^___^
Alice Twain -- Te recuerdo Amanda / la calle mojada / corriendo a la fabrica / donde trabajaba Manuel La sonrisa ancha / la lluvia en el pelo / no emportava nada / ibas a encontrarte con el Ese cinco menudos / la vita es eterna en cinco menudos Victor Jara
it is sooo eggs and bacon! there is also the amatriciana arguement.. with or without onion. Most say without, and on my last trip to ROme I found the tomato sauces to be rather sweet. must be the absence of sauteed onions, which I love! I make my amatriciana with the onions sauteed in the fat from the guanciale, a little chili pepper.. and tomato and then garnish with the fried pork bits!!!
quote:Originally posted by Diva: there is also the amatriciana arguement...
Aaaargh! You DON'T read the it.hobby.cucina newsgroup, do you? We have been discussing this sunbect for YEARS. And quarrelling over it ^_^ Finally RoDante solve the whole thing with an on-site research.
quote:I make my amatriciana with the onions sauteed in the fat from the guanciale, a little chili pepper.. and tomato and then garnish with the fried pork bits!!!
I make exactly the same kind of pasta. I just stopped calling it amatriciana. That's the thing with the it.hobby.cucina "stronzopuntisti". Do anything you like (as long as you are not using "panna" or "dado") but don't call it with the wrong name ;-P
Alice Twain -- Te recuerdo Amanda / la calle mojada / corriendo a la fabrica / donde trabajaba Manuel La sonrisa ancha / la lluvia en el pelo / no emportava nada / ibas a encontrarte con el Ese cinco menudos / la vita es eterna en cinco menudos Victor Jara
I don't have time to follow other newsgroups... since I have my own site, I have quite a bit of mail to answer on my own, and I only spend time on SLOWTRAV.. so far .. Have seen eGullet which looks really interesting and do do research on a recipe I do use the internet.
Since I teach, I only teach the classic recipes, but do like to Tweek..and do "MY version of"..and agree, change the name! My girlfriend does a vegetarian Carbonara with Zucchini that is fabulous! Thanks Alice...
quote:Originally posted by Diva: My girlfriend does a vegetarian Carbonara with Zucchini that is fabulous!
This reminds me: I have had, prepared by a true Roman housewife (and programmer ^_^) a wonderful gricia with asparagi. She used the wild assparagi, the very thin ones that are pretty hard to find. Just cut them in pieces (approx. one inch long) and tossede them with the guanciale and a little water (brom the boiling pasta pot) to help cook them.
Alice Twain -- Te recuerdo Amanda / la calle mojada / corriendo a la fabrica / donde trabajaba Manuel La sonrisa ancha / la lluvia en el pelo / no emportava nada / ibas a encontrarte con el Ese cinco menudos / la vita es eterna en cinco menudos Victor Jara
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