Pasta Alla Gricia, 3 simple ingredients

Pasta Alla Gricia

Take a close look... creamy right? Well, there is no butter or cream. In fact, in the photo there are only 3 ingredients.

Per Serving

5 oz dry spaghetti 

3 oz Peccorino 

1-2 slices bacon (or guanciale if you have some)

Salt and pepper to taste.

Aside from grating the Peccorino I suppose its possible to make it one handed holding a baby, but it's much easier to plop your little one in a carrier.

Total time about 15min.

Place your spaghetti in a large flat bottom saute pan. Mine is just large enough to squeeze the noodles in stacked along the center line. (I have seen Alton Brown cut an inch off the end if they don't fit in your pan.) Then add 3 cups water (for 2 servings, if your doing more start with 4 cups). Yes, I know, the noodles aren't all covered with water) Yes, I understand this is not how you normally make pasta. Anyway. Cook pasta on high, stirring occasionally, until there is only about 1/4 cup of water left in the pan. (Again 2 servings)

While the pasta is cooking, cook your bacon as you normally would. I prefer to cook mine in a non stick pan, flipping every minute so they stay flat. When the bacon is done chop it into bite size pieces that are big enough so, when you get one, you think, mmmmm bacon!

Grate peccorino. I prefer to use my micro plane that I use for making lemon zest.

Assembly.

First taste your pasta. Do you like its texture? If yes, continue. If no, cook it longer. (If your pan is dry add water and continue to cook and when you make it next time start with that much more water).

So I think a big pan full of super starchy water bubbles it is tough to tell when you have about 1/4 cup of water left, so occasionally remove it from the heat and the bubbles will subside showing you how much water is left. That super starchy water is the whole reason we cooked the pasta this way. That starch is what actually makes the sauce and makes it stick to the noodles. Any recipe that asks me to add pasta water I just cook this way.

Now add the peccorino, the bacon, along with salt and paper to your liking. Or maybe just add the cheese and take a portion off for your toddler and add the rest of the good stuff later.

Stir until combined.

Too stiff? Add water a couple tablespoons at a time until your desired creaminess is achieved. Too runny? Next time cook the pasta longer or use less water, this time just add more peccorino.

Cheesy, salty, meaty... delicious.