Salami Pasta Alla Gricia
Updated May 18, 2022
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1pound tubed, curved or long pasta, such as rigatoni, orecchiette or spaghetti
- 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1(6-ounce) log mild or spicy salami, casing discarded and meat coarsely chopped
- 1teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1cup/2 ounces finely grated pecorino or Parmesan, plus more for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
445 calories; 15 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 57 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 639 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- Step 2
While the pasta cooks, in a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil and salami over medium-low. Cook, stirring often, until crisp and golden-brown, 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t be tempted to raise the heat, as you need the fat to fully render from the salami to form the sauce.) Remove from heat and stir in the black pepper until fragrant. Set aside until the pasta’s ready.
- Step 3
Add 1½ cups pasta water to the salami and simmer over medium-low heat, shaking and stirring until the water emulsifies with the fat to create a homogeneous liquid, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Step 4
Add the cooked pasta and pecorino, and cook, shaking the pot and stirring vigorously until the cheese is melted and the sauce glosses the noodles, 2 to 4 minutes. If the sauce is thin, keep simmering. If you can’t see the sauce in the bottom of the pot or on the noodles, add more pasta water and keep stirring over medium-low.
- Step 5
Serve right away, with more pecorino on top.
Private Notes
Comments
A good quality bacon is a lot more similar to guanciale and a tastier and more authentic rendering of this delicious dish.
You can cook off the water until the sauce thickens, then add the pasta. If you add the cooked pasta before the sauce thickens up, the pasta will absorb that excess water and maybe overcook. So you can either stop cooking the pasta just before it's done and add it to a thinner sauce to finish cooking it, or cook it all the way and add it to the thickened sauce to just coat it.
During the pandemic, I more often had salami in the frig as it would keep longer than pancetta (which I'd have to go out and buy) — and I was shocked by how good salami was in pasta dishes. It's a different flavor profile, to be sure — but try it, you'll like it.
If you boil the pasta to al dente (which means serving consistency), it will be overcooked after another 2-4 minutes in the sauce. The writer probably intended to suggest boiling the pasta to a few minutes below al dente. Otherwise a fairly authentic recipe, employing a few simple ingredients as is the custom here.
Used an artisinal salami and good quality pecorino. The results were delicious!
Quality pecorino romano is hard to find in America. The ubiquitous Locatelli brand (owned by a French multinational conglomerate) is mass produced for export and a salt bomb. If that's all you can find, it's better to use genuine Parmigiano or Grana Padano.
Cheese and salami. Can't really get this one wrong.