Four Roman Pasta Dishes United by Cheese and Pepper
January 15, 2025 8:44 PM   Subscribe

There are four traditional Roman pasta dishes, all made with Pecorino Romano - a strong sheep's milk cheese aged until it's firm enough to be grated.  The most basic of the Roman pasta recipes is cacio e pepe (text recipe, video) using only cheese (cacio) and (e) black pepper (pepe).  Add cured pork and you get pasta alla Gricia (text recipe, video).  Add egg to alla Gricia to make Carbonara (text recipe, video); adding tomatoes and white wine (and in some recipes chili pepper or red pepper flakes) to alla Gricia instead of egg gives you pasta all'Amatriciana (text recipe, video). Recipes posted up front, but many more details below!

The simplicity of these four dishes makes identifying their origins difficult; none have been positively traced to a particular individual or restaurant.  The most common theory is that shepherds in the Roman countryside invented cacio e pepe in the 17th or 18th century, as sheep’s milk cheese was readily available, easily stored in a pack and simply combined with pasta and pepper in a single pot.  Gricia is a simple enough derivation, as a cured meat like guanciale also travels well and is easily added to the same pot, but there are multiple theories for how the dish got its name.  Carbonara was introduced after WWII, possibly getting its name from being made on charcoal burners by street food vendors (carbone is "coal").  Amatriciana came from Amatrice, a town in the Lazio region east of Rome, possibly in the late 18th century.


CAVEATS:

• I'm neither Italian, a master chef, nor a food historian; just a home cook who enjoys Italian cuisine. I tried to be as accurate as possible based on research, but sometimes it’s hard to come by “authentic” information.  Actual Italians/master chefs/food historians are free to correct any of my mistakes in the comments.  Like I need to tell you that :)
• Brands mentioned below are generally available in the U.S., other countries YMMV. I've tried to describe everything to make it easier to find alternatives.
• The recipes above were chosen to be relatively "traditional", simple, and with the intention that each is built on the foundation and techniques of the previous one.  Other Recipes Are Available.


PRONUNCIATION (very roughly!!):

• cacio e pepe - "KAH cho eh PAY pay"
• alla Gricia - "alla GREE chah"
• carbonara - "car bo NA rah"
• all'Amatriciana - "al AH ma tree CHA nah"
• guanciale - "gwan CHA leh"


CREATING A CREAMY SAUCE:

Making a pasta sauce "creamy" (mantecatura in Italian) does not involve cream or butter.  It refers to creating a thick smooth sauce by emulsifying the ingredients with a little of the starchy pasta water.  This is done by tossing them vigorously in a pan along with the pasta.

Italian chefs use a dedicated saltapasta or padella per mantecare to cream the sauce, but any NON-NONSTICK pan with deep round sides works well, such as a stainless steel saucier, a 10-11" steel wok/stir-fry pan with a handle, or this $41 aluminum Winco pan.  If you don't have and aren't willing or able to spring for such a pan, you can use a large skillet and a pair of tongs or a spatula, vigorously shaking the pan and turning/stirring the ingredients repeatedly.  But if you're going to make these dishes more than once, consider getting the deep round pan and learning the tossing motion. I've tried both and the right pan makes it much easier to get consistently spectacular results.

Keeping the ingredients at a medium-low to medium temperature is critical during this process, as higher temps can cause the emulsification to “break” (separate) and the cheese gets hard and clumpy. Time, however, is variable...you toss until the sauce is smooth and evenly coats the pasta. If it looks too thick, add a spoonful or two of pasta water at a time and continue to toss; if it looks too thin, heat and toss a little longer until the water gets absorbed and the sauce thickens.


PASTA:

Fresh handmade tonnarelli, also known as Spaghetti alla Chitarra, is a long square pasta that is perhaps more "traditional" especially for cacio e pepe, but thick spaghetti/spaghettoni, rigatoni, bucatini (especially for all'Amatriciana), etc. are all common choices.

Buying dried pasta: look for pasta made with brass dies - this is usually mentioned on the box. De Cecco is one acceptable brand that’s relatively easy to find.  Extruding pasta shapes using brass dies gives it a visibly rougher texture that makes it easier for sauce to cling to the pasta, which is a Good Thing.  Cheaper brands are made using silicone or Teflon dies, which last longer than the brass version but make the pasta smooth and therefore harder for sauce to stick to.

Use as little water as possible to cook the pasta. Starchy water is crucial for creating a creamy sauce.  I fill a 12" skillet about half full of cold water, a little less salted than usual (the cheese and/or meat add enough salt to the finished dish), and add the pasta straight into the cold water before turning the burner on medium-high to high. Starting the pasta in cold water is more economical and shorter than waiting for the water to boil, but otherwise there’s no difference in the result...do as you like. Either way, stir it occasionally to make sure it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick to itself or the pan.  Under-cook the pasta a bit, it will finish cooking later while in the sauce.


PEPPER:

Start with whole black peppercorns. Fresh-ground pepper has much more flavor than pre-ground, which no telling how old and stale that probably is.

Toasting the whole peppercorns in a dry pan over medium heat for a couple minutes (until you start to smell them) helps bring out the flavor. This is an optional but recommended step.

For these dishes a somewhat coarser grind is better, as it’s a featured flavor; more finely-ground pepper will disappear into the dish.  If you don't have a pepper grinder you can use a mortar & pestle; if you don't have a mortar & pestle (and chances are if you don't have a grinder you don't have a mortar & pestle either) you can fold a handful of peppercorns in a dishcloth and lightly smash them with a large mallet, meat tenderizer, bottom of a skillet, unopened can of tomatoes, etc.  Using one of those cheap whirly-blade coffee grinders isn't recommended because it tends to pulverize the pepper to fine dust; it's especially to be avoided if you've already used it to grind other spices since it can sneak those unwanted flavors into the pasta dish.


PECORINO ROMANO CHEESE:

Not to be confused with "Romano cheese" , which is what you usually get pre-grated in cans and can be made from a mix of cow, goat, and/or sheep's milk.

To grate it finely enough for it to incorporate well into a sauce, use a Microplane or the smallest holes on a box grater - I have this one and it's fantastic, very sharp and grates quickly, miles better than the cheap stamped-metal ones you find in the grocery store's kitchen aisle! 

Although you can find recipes that use Parmigiano along with or instead of Pecorino, that's not the “traditional” cheese to use. If nothing else try using just Pecorino at least once.


GUANCIALE:

Cured/aged pig's jowl (cheek).  The flavor of this fatty meat is somewhat akin to bacon but more complex and a little funkier; definitely worth seeking out if you feel like taking the trouble.  It's available via Amazon or some Italian specialty shops.  I've found "smoked cured pork jowl" at my local Winco grocery store, which isn't hard-cured like Italian guanciale but is still very good and still better than bacon (and I love bacon!).

Nevertheless, pancetta or thick-cut unsmoked cured bacon is an acceptable if less than ideal substitution.  I promise not to tell if you decide to use it.

After cutting the meat into lardons (thick matchsticks) or small cubes, distribute them in a cold pan before turning the heat to medium or medium low (this method needs no olive oil to get it started). The idea is to let the fat get slowly rendered out before the lean part turns browned and crispy, but still somewhat transparent and not dry. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Don’t discard the fat after removing the meat - at least some of it gets used in the recipe!


TOMATOES:

San Marzano, a type of plum tomato grown near Naples, is the best type of tomato for all'Amatriciana.  Most of us don't have access to the fresh product so canned tomatoes are usually specified.  The current best brands are Bianco DiNapoli or San Merican.  The next best (and cheaper) brand, more easily found in grocery stores, is Cento's San Marzano or "Italian Style" whole peeled tomatoes.  Failing that, any whole (or even crushed) tomatoes can be used in a pinch, but the flavor will be a bit different.


Salute!


PREVIOUSLY:

Pasta alla Cacio e Pepe, scientifically optimized
The "King of Carbonara" shares his pasta recipe
Carbonara
A little bit of unsmoked pig jowl goes a long way...
posted by Greg_Ace (38 comments total) 81 users marked this as a favorite
 
Stoked for a new Greg_Ace food post!
posted by rubatan at 9:01 PM on January 15 [3 favorites]


This is the carbonara I want.
posted by Lemkin at 9:19 PM on January 15


Bold of you to post about Italian cuisine on the internet. It's like posting a negative comment about Scientology! :)

Amazing how things that are so simple will invite such indecorous discussion.
posted by drewbage1847 at 9:44 PM on January 15 [2 favorites]


damn celiac
posted by robbyrobs at 9:51 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]


Damn celiac

As a fellow celiac let me assure you gluten free pasta has come a long way. If you stick to the brands from Italy you'll find a lot of them are remarkably close to gluten pasta and can function in the above recipes.
posted by Ashwagandha at 10:08 PM on January 15 [4 favorites]


How guanciale is made (YouTube).
posted by misteraitch at 11:10 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]


I liked "4 levels of Cacio e Pepe" - it is one of those instances where beginner, intermedite and advanced chefs all seem to have the right approach (but I'd be waiting in line for f Saúl's version with hand made pasta and pepper obsession).
posted by rongorongo at 12:02 AM on January 16


I've tried making carbonara a few times and it never comes out too well. This thread makes me want to not give up on my dreams, to try this again. Thank you.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 12:38 AM on January 16 [3 favorites]


Sigh. So many great straight-man setups, so little time...

1. Illegitimi non carbonara, spaghetti with ground-down bastards

2. ¿Dónde está usted cacio e pepe? Where is your cheese urinal cake?

3. Per The Rutles:
I have always thought, in the back of my mind,
Cheese and Pepper
Do I have to spell it out?
C H E E S E A N D P E P P E R
Oh no
posted by zaixfeep at 12:39 AM on January 16 [1 favorite]


I recently made pasta noodles using Semolina flour from an Italian grocery and got better than expected results. Using all purpose flour recipes in the past I was always disappointed with the lack of flavor and toughness. The Semolina made a HUGE difference. I made pierogi with the same recipe at Christmas and was very happy with that, too. Now I’ll move onto trying these sauce recipes. Ingredients are key, but I’m off pork so I’ll need to work around that.
posted by waving at 2:17 AM on January 16 [1 favorite]


This is a great post.
But all these sauces are for dry pasta.
I've always found cacio e pepe very difficult, the others are a store-cupboard delight 90 % of the time.
posted by mumimor at 2:50 AM on January 16


damn celiac

I spent years trying various gf pastas that just tasted like sadness. These days I use Barilla GF, and I think it's delightful.
posted by cupcakeninja at 4:15 AM on January 16 [3 favorites]


A few things I've found making these dishes a bunch in recent years:
- The emulsion can be pretty tricky. Use as little heat as you can - the heat from the pasta and water is enough
- Using grated cheese can go poorly (it wants to melt and separate) - I've had best results cutting cheese and throwing it into a small food processor and using the resulting powder.
- Recipes say you can use pancetta instead of guanciale. You can, I guess, but there's a huge difference. Do yourself a favor, go to an Italian specialty store and buy guanciale.
- As with any fish: top with good olive oil.
posted by entropone at 4:38 AM on January 16 [2 favorites]


he simplicity of these four dishes makes identifying their origins difficult; none have been positively traced to a particular individual or restaurant.

Honestly, I think "it's hard to identify the specific person who invented this" is the rule rather than the exception when you're talking about most traditional recipes - because people have been trying to play around with basic recipes for centuries, with each person trying one or another trick to put their own spin on things or tweaking things because they had ingredient X that needed using up or they were missing ingredient Y but they had ingredient Z instead that was "close enough". And you've also had people who were taking the "i'm too hungry to care much, let's just throw shit together and see what happens" approach and sometimes coming across something that worked really well. You'll probably find people who say "oh no, my nonna invented this back in 1920-whatever and I know it because blah blah blah", but odds are someone else's nonna was doing exactly the same thing back in the 1910's and just didn't know y'all were talking about this - and both nonnas probably legitimately invented things all by themselves independent of each other. People put their own spins on things, people adapt based on what they have on hand, it's all good.

Which brings us to:

Recipes say you can use pancetta instead of guanciale. You can, I guess, but there's a huge difference. Do yourself a favor, go to an Italian specialty store and buy guanciale.

You're not wrong. I have indeed made carbonara with guanciale specifically, and it was indeed delicious. However, guanciale is also expensive, and I am far more likely to have regular bacon in the house and carbonara is one of my "I've had a hard day and I need carbs and cheese" go-to meals and so I'm more likely to use bacon instead of guanciale and it's also delicious that way. Maybe not AS delicious, but 95% of the time I just want to eat as opposed to having a Platonian Ideal Dining Experience. If I'm the only person I'm letting down, and I don't especially care, then bacon it is.

Sometimes you're having a dinner party and that's when you'll splurge on the good stuff; sometimes you're just tired and hungry and that's all that's in the house, and if you can STILL make something delicious out of what you've got, that's a win.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:17 AM on January 16 [8 favorites]


Bacon is fine but what makes it better with guanciale is that because it's so fatty you're basically creating a pork fat/egg (and pasta water) emulsion. That's what takes it to the next level.

It's not that easy to get in the UK either. You need a good Italian deli or charcuterie near you.
posted by treblekicker at 5:42 AM on January 16


It refers to creating a thick smooth sauce by emulsifying the ingredients with a little of the starchy pasta water

Mrs. A. was in a train once where a Roman and a non-Roman spent a few hours arguing pasta. One contended that adding water to carbonara was heresy and a chef's cheat, not quite as bad as MSG, but in the same neighborhood. The other, not so much. You can get into serious food arguments over how to cook Italian food properly. (You don't get started on lasagna.)

Which is a lead-in to my bit of carbonara heresy. Leafer Alert! If you don't eat guanciale, you can substitute caramelized onion. No, really, it's damn good.

Also, we are recent converts to non-Roman spaghetti all'assassino.
posted by BWA at 6:04 AM on January 16 [3 favorites]


What a great post!
posted by joannemerriam at 6:43 AM on January 16 [1 favorite]


I'm just going to admit: I've been buying Trader Joe's Cacio e Pepe for years, and I've never read the ingredients, and I had no idea that it was supposed to be spiced with pepper, and pepe is far enough from the basic Spanish and French I know to where I never made the translation.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:33 AM on January 16


There are no words for how psychologically soothing I find this post right now, though strictly speaking Roman is like my second least favorite type of Italian cuisine (Venetian is still the worst).
posted by grandiloquiet at 7:48 AM on January 16 [1 favorite]


Wonderful post, Greg_Ace. Locatelli brand Pecorino is my go-to umami bomb.

In fact, I'm gonna skip all the cooking here and just slice a hunk off the wedge in my fridge. That's all I need.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:27 AM on January 16 [1 favorite]


damn celiac

I regret not thinking to consider gluten-free options in my post. My only excuse is that I was focused on "traditional"/prototypical recipes, but that's a flimsy excuse. I sincerely apologize, and I've made a mental note to do better if/when I try making another one of these types of post.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:41 AM on January 16 [1 favorite]


I will have to try all of these. More on guanciale in re: Amatriciana, featuring actor Michael Tucker, whom you may recall from Diner and L.A. Law. The referenced recipe (my go-to) here.
posted by the sobsister at 8:43 AM on January 16


Illegitimi non carbonara, spaghetti with ground-down bastards

Wouldn't that be without ground bastard?
I can never find fresh bastard at my local deli
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:44 AM on January 16 [1 favorite]


Sometimes you're having a dinner party and that's when you'll splurge on the good stuff; sometimes you're just tired and hungry and that's all that's in the house, and if you can STILL make something delicious out of what you've got, that's a win.

Yeah, highly agree. Bacon is a better sub for guanciale than pancetta.

I was extremely disappointed to go to a pretty legitimate italian restaurant here in nyc a year or so ago, and ordered the carbonara, only to find that they used pancetta. So instead of having these wonderful crispy bits of funky fried bacony goodness, there were just... chunks of ham. Terrible.
posted by entropone at 9:25 AM on January 16 [1 favorite]


I can never find fresh bastard at my local deli
And full-fat authentic fresh bastard - even harder!
Meanwhile also in the UK this week - and perhaps time for Italians to look away - : Hienz launch Spaghetti Carbonara in a can.
posted by rongorongo at 9:32 AM on January 16


I was extremely disappointed to go to a pretty legitimate italian restaurant here in nyc a year or so ago, and ordered the carbonara, only to find that they used pancetta. So instead of having these wonderful crispy bits of funky fried bacony goodness, there were just... chunks of ham. Terrible.

Pancetta is dry cured pork belly, not ham. It's going to be funkier than typical bacon.

Pasta all'Amatriciana is my favorite pasta dish and I have made it with guanciale and pancetta that I have cured myself. To be frank, I prefer the slightly meatier pancetta over the guanciale.

That being said, bacon would also be delicious in these recipes.
posted by nolnacs at 9:57 AM on January 16


Illegitimi non carbonara, spaghetti with ground-down bastards
Wouldn't that be without ground bastard?
I can never find fresh bastard at my local deli
posted by Greg_Ace


Leave it to MeFi to beanplate a throwaway joke.

Also: Hand-raised, organic artisinal heirloom-variety cage-free flash-pasteurized oven-baked deli-style/deli-sliced, unseasoned except for pink sea salt, no fillers, artificial sweeteners or preservatives, chunky style bastard. Individually wrapped for your convenience. Sold by a guy who is so into his product, he actually kinda looks like a bastard. In the kosher hygiene aisle of your local deli counter. Bastards -- in Berkeley? Mooooooo... Tell a friend -- Alan Hamel
posted by zaixfeep at 10:22 AM on January 16 [2 favorites]


Sold by a guy who is so into his product, he actually kinda looks like a bastard.

But if he doesn't have a New York Italian accent, it's only Sparkling SOB.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:54 AM on January 16 [2 favorites]


I’m a pescatarian but deeply miss carbonara. I’ve found that smoked salmon, the fattier the better, makes a pretty good substitute for the pork. Maybe an extra glug of oil to make up for the fat difference, but goes over very well in this house. I also add capers and lemon zest to this sometimes, but we’re getting further from Rome there.
posted by skookumsaurus rex at 12:11 PM on January 16 [2 favorites]


I guess I should mention that carbonara was the first of these 4 dishes I ever encountered. It looked enticing, but it just didn't send me like I expected it to. Right now my favorite is alla Gricia, followed by cacio e pepe; I haven't tried all'Amatriciana yet but plan to soon. I've even got the right tomatoes on hand just waiting to be used!

Currently waiting for inspiration to hit for my next "all of $TYPE_OF_FOOD" post...gotta match the energy of this one and my previous chili/potatoes/turnips posts!
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:54 PM on January 16


Leave it to MeFi to beanplate a throwaway joke.

....It....looked more like riffing on the joke instead of beanplating.

....Speaking of beans, I wonder what would happen if you threw some into any of these?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:54 AM on January 17


There would be a great disturbance in La Forza.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:20 AM on January 17 [2 favorites]


That said, while I don't think beans would be in the spirit of cacio e pepe specifically, it would be pretty easy to replace pork with beans in the other 3 recipes. Just salt the pasta water a little more diligently (though there's still going to be some salt in the dish due to the cheese) and add oil to replace the missing fat. Maybe add a little soy sauce or MSG.

And if a Roman asks, you did NOT hear that from me.
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:40 PM on January 17


I was also just joking, Greg...! But thank you - and if you maybe want to consider other bean-and-pasta ideas for the next post, I've actually found several in here.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:37 PM on January 17 [1 favorite]


actor Michael Tucker, whom you may recall or did not know, wrote a fun book or two.
posted by BWA at 7:24 PM on January 17


Mod note: OF COURSE we added this to the sidebar and Best Of blog, it's honestly too good of a post not to do so!
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 8:51 PM on January 17


Not really a Vincenzo fan, and I haven’t tried these because I’m lounging in Malta with no one to cook for, but I feel t https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNCVTjxxcuY look pretty convincing
posted by mumimor at 11:51 AM on January 22


Sorry, I’m on my phone and failing
posted by mumimor at 11:52 AM on January 22


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