For the past month, the Sun has beaten my back deck into oblivion and the splinters between the boards are even splintery-er. The mosquitos have eaten me alive, every single day. But that’s okay—Summer is here again. Where is it also Summer?
If you answered, Italy, you are indeed correct.
In the Summer of 2022, I spent two exceptionally sweaty months in Montebuono, a town just shy of eight-hundred residents, located within the sprawling hillside of central Italy. While daytime hours were spent simply surviving the 102-degree heat, evenings were considerably more entertaining, providing the opportunity for endless chats at the local bar on topics ranging from food to local lore. My subsequent cooking attempts in our thick rock-walled 1500s abode led me deeper and deeper into the splendid abyss of all things pasta.
Pasta is enjoyed by the megatons each day around the globe. We all have our favorite shape and size, brand, and go-to sauce. Perhaps you’re a canned fan. Or maybe your preferences lie in the multi hour slog of crafting your own ragu’ (meat sauce). Not all pasta dishes are made alike and nor are the tastes of those who consume them.
In Italy, there is a long and meticulously debated history surrounding most of their famous dishes. To Italians, cooking—and eating—carries with it a set of rules to be followed. Some believe onions to be the secret to the perfect Amatriciana, while for others the mere suggestion of onions anywhere close to their sugo (sauce) is grounds for exile to some forgotten Mediterranean island.
My experience eating very good pasta began in Montebuono, where I discovered the simple science behind four of the most eaten dishes in Rome: Carbonara, Amatriciana, Cacio e Pepe, and Gricia. These four dishes are built using only a handful of ingredients. By adding or removing just one, we’re left with an entirely new product.
As illustrated in the image above, Cacio e Pepe is the most basic of the roman dishes, consisting of the two ingredients its name suggests: cheese (cacio) and black pepper (pepe nero). The standard recipe, which I’ve sourced from the renowned GialloZafferano.com, will make you reconsider your next expensive trip to the North End. When combined with starchy water, the pecorino cheese and black pepper form a rich emulsion, perfect for coating spaghetti or rigatoni. Remember to reduce the heat when mixing it all together to avoid coagulation (and sadness).
Once you’ve mastered Cacio e Pepe, it’s time to get even more flavorful. The addition of guanciale (or bacon, if unavailable) gives us Gricia, the dish many of my Italian friends cite as their favorite. Delicious on its own, Gricia packs a more fatty flavor than its meatless cousin and, though creamy, remains lighter than its more robust counterpart, Carbonara. The term Gricia derives its namesake from the locality of Grisciano, not too far from Amatrice, the town for which Amatriciana is named. Gricia sets a base for the remaining two dishes, whose rich texture and deep flavors exemplify Roman cooking.
The difference between Carbonara and Amatriciana rests in our choice between either egg yolks, for a luscious cheese sauce, or whole-peeled tomatoes, for a savory red sauce. According to some historians, the origin of Spaghetti alla Carbonara is owed to the American liberation of Rome in June of 1944. It’s said that while stationed there, American troops requested bacon and eggs. The local chefs answered with their own take on the classic American breakfast.
Amatriciana, on the other hand, embraces the tomato. With guanciale (and onion, if you prefer for punch) and its otherwise simplistic format, the resulting sauce is entirely different from what one might expect from a red sauce. For best results, it’s necessary to use whole-peeled canned tomatoes, either crushed by hand or blended before adding to the pan. Until this day, I still make Amatriciana at least once a week.
I hope this brief explanation of Roman pasta has inspired you to have a go at one of these dishes!
Buon appetito!