Pasta alla Gricia with Smoked Pecorino Foam
Servings 2
Upgrade the classic Roman pasta with this elevated Pasta alla Gricia recipe, finished with a rich smoked pecorino foam made without lecithin or a smoking gun. Deep umami, crisp guanciale, and a modern twist, perfect for chefs and food lovers alike.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 200 g rigatoni or tonnarelli
- 100 g guanciale cut into thick batons
- 50 g Pecorino Romano microplaned
- 1.5 g fresh cracked black pepper
- Salt
- Pasta water reserve 300ml
Smoked Pecorino Foam
- 100 g Pecorino Romano finely grated
- 150 ml whole milk
- 100 ml heavy cream
- 2 gold gelatin sheets or 4g powdered
- Small handful applewood/beech wood chips
- Bowl rack, foil, deep pot for stovetop smoking
Method
Smoke the Dairy
- Line deep pot with foil + wood chips.
- Place milk + cream in bowl on wire rack above chips.
- Cover tightly. Heat on high until smoking (5–7 min), then low for 10 min.
- Rest off heat, covered, 10 min.
Make Smoked Foam
- Soak gelatin in cold water (5–10 min), then squeeze dry.
- Gently heat smoked milk/cream to ~60°C.
- Whisk in 100g Pecorino until melted.
- Stir in gelatin until fully dissolved.
- Blend, strain, and keep warm:
- No siphon: blend again before plating, spoon foam off top.
- With siphon: charge with 1 N₂O, hold at ~55°C in water bath.
Cook Pasta
- Boil pasta until just under al dente. Reserve 300ml starchy water.
Render Guanciale
- Cold pan, add guanciale. Render slowly until golden.
- Remove meat, leave fat in pan.
Finish Sauce
- Add cracked pepper to fat, toast 30 sec.
- Add pasta + 100ml pasta water. Toss over low heat.
- Remove from heat. Stir in 50g Pecorino, splash more water to emulsify.