Pasta alla Gricia

This recipe is Roman and very simple, but classic!!  It's like a sister recipe to cacio e pepe and carbonara, sans the egg component and it's traditionally made with spaghetti or rigatoni. Since pecorino romano cheese and guanciale are both very salty, there's an exception here and you do not need to salt the pasta water.

If you don't live near an Italian market or can't find guanciale, you could try using cubed pancetta or even thick cut bacon as a substitute.

What you need:

• 1/2 lb pasta of choice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup of diced guanciale (cured pork cheek)
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black peppercorns
• 2 cups pecorino romano cheese, finely grated

What to do:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan on low-med heat and cook the diced guanciale until it starts to brown and crisp, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove the guanciale but leave the oil and grease and leave the heat setting on.
4. Add the pepper to to the grease, then add 1/2 cup of pasta water and increase the heat to medium until the pasta water boils. (It's important to use pasta water because it's starchy and combines with the pork fat in order to create the luscious sauce.)
5. Once the sauce starts to boil, add the cooked pasta, guanciale and almost all of the cheese - reserve a little cheese for topping.
6. Quickly mix everything together over the medium heat to melt the cheese into the pasta water and pasta until combined. Don't be afraid to play with and adjust the ratio of cheese:pasta water so that it's to your liking. (The key is to keep it hot so the cheese stays melted and doesn't curdle.)
7. Top with more cheese and black pepper before serving!