The recipe
Ingredients
- 180 g spaghetti or bucatini
- 75 g guanciale, rind removed
- 300 g canned peeled tomatoes, including juice
- 30 g pecorino Romano, finely grated
- 1 small pinch chilli flakes
- Salt for the cooking water
Method
- Cut the guanciale into strips roughly five millimetres thick. Start in a cold frying pan and render over medium-low heat for about seven to nine minutes, until golden.
- Remove the strips. Leave about one tablespoon of fat in the pan and spoon away the excess. Crush the tomatoes.
- Add the tomatoes and chilli to the fat and simmer gently, uncovered, for about fifteen minutes. Add a little water if needed.
- Cook the pasta in moderately salted water until just short of your preferred bite. Reserve a cup of cooking water before draining.
- Toss the pasta, sauce and an initial two tablespoons of cooking water together for one minute. Return the guanciale.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the pecorino and loosen with more cooking water if necessary. Taste everything together, adjust salt if needed and serve immediately.
Render the guanciale gently
Guanciale is cured pork cheek. For two servings, use 75 g with the tough rind removed, cut into strips roughly five millimetres thick. Put it in a cold frying pan and warm over medium-low heat. The fat should gradually render while the strips develop golden edges. Allow approximately seven to nine minutes, moving them occasionally. Reduce the heat if they quickly become dark rather than gradually browning.
Lift out the strips and leave about one tablespoon of the rendered fat in the pan. Spoon any excess into a heatproof container. Pancetta would be a possible variation, but its cut and flavour differ. Guanciale remains the intended ingredient here. Smoked breakfast bacon would also introduce a pronounced smoky flavour, so it is not an identical substitute.
Balance the sauce and cheese
Crush 300 g canned peeled tomatoes, including their juice. Simmer them gently, uncovered, in the reserved fat with a little chilli for about fifteen minutes. They should form a cohesive sauce without drying onto the bottom of the pan. Meanwhile, cook 180 g spaghetti or bucatini until just short of your preferred bite. Salt the water a little more cautiously than for a very mild sauce because the guanciale and pecorino already contribute salt.
Toss the pasta with the tomato sauce and an initial two tablespoons of cooking water for about one minute. Return the guanciale strips. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the finely grated pecorino. If the coating becomes too thick, loosen it with cooking water a tablespoon at a time. Only then taste a mouthful containing pasta, meat and cheese together. This lets you assess the finished seasoning rather than oversalting the tomatoes beforehand.