It’s January 2024 and that means Prinos Farm&Deli is ready with a whole new set of monthly recipes to inspire you to get creative in the kitchen. We’ve got all the premium quality ingredients you need. And now we’re giving you twelve new ways of using those ingredients in ways you might not have tried yet at home! They’re all easy recipes that are delicious, family-friendly and make great use of our products. So, without further ado, let’s kick start the new year with a tasty traditional pasta recipe from Rome – Pasta with Guanciale, Pecorino, and Black Pepper.

January is a great month for comfort food and giving in to our cravings! And at Prinos, that means pasta! And if you like pasta, you’ll love this delicious recipe that is easy, simple, and utterly delicious. Pasta is the ultimate culinary comfort food. This traditional Italian staple has become a universal favourite all around the world. Not only does it offer a deliciously satisfying texture and irresistible taste with every bite, pasta also presents some great nutritional benefits. A versatile source of complex carbohydrates, it provides sustained energy and contributes to a feeling of fullness. Additionally, when opting for whole-grain varieties, pasta becomes a valuable source of fibre, aiding in digestion and promoting a sense of well-being.

But it’s often the sauces that really provide the extra nutrition and balance in pasta recipes – and this traditional Pasta alla Gricia with Guanciale, Pecorino, and Black Pepper is no different. If you like classic Italian carbonara, you’ll love this Roman trattoria alternative. Like the carbonara, this understated delicacy only uses a few basic ingredients – in this case, it boldly showcases a harmonious trio: Sharp, tangy Pecorino Romano, rich guanciale, and the kick of coarsely ground black pepper.

Rooted in the heart of Northern Lazio, deep in the Apennine mountains, this gricia recipe has a storied history that traces back over a century. Shepherds introduced this flavourful creation to city-dwellers, and it quickly became a culinary cornerstone in Roman trattorias. While gricia laid the groundwork for iconic pastas like amatriciana and carbonara, it never quite enjoyed the same widespread recognition.

But we think it deserves a moment in the spotlight. For this recipe, we’ve chosen rigatoni for the way the thick tubular shape complements the delectable porky bits of the smoked guanciale. The trick to making it perfect is cooking the pasta to under halfway done in salted water. The cooking gets finished at the last stage of the dish when mixed with the meat and its rendered fat, which merge to create a velvety emulsion.

And now that you have all the background information, and you know which is the best grocery in Cyprus to get the ingredients, it’s time to get started on the actual recipe itself. All of which can be made using the premium ingredients available from Prinos Farm&Deli.

INGREDIENTS

• 450g of rigatoni pasta
• 250g smoked guanciale
• ¾ cup of finely grated Pecorino Romano
• Fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

1. Begin by removing the crust from the guanciale and cutting it into small bite-sized strips.
2. Next add the guanciale to a pan and cook on a medium-low heat for around 10-15 minutes or until the fat renders. Once cooked, remove from the heat, leave the guanciale in the pan and set aside to cool.
3. While the guanciale is cooling, boil a large pot of water. Mix a generous pinch of salt into the water before adding in the rigatoni and boiling for half the recommended cooking time instructed on the packaging. Stop cooking before the pasta is al dente.
4. Before draining the pasta, transfer one cup of the cooking water to the pan with the guanciale. Set aside another ½ cup of cooking water.
5. Now drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the guanciale. Cook over a medium-high heat for around 5 minutes, swirling the pan regularly until the pasta is al dente and covered in the sauce.
6. When the pasta is ready, turn off the heat before stirring in the black pepper and ½ a cup of the finely grated cheese.
7. Check the consistency of the sauce. If it is too thick, add in some of the reserved pasta water until smooth and creamy.
8. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of the remaining pecorino on top of each plate.

With these comfort food months ahead, this is the perfect time to savour the rich flavours, velvety texture, and nourishing qualities of this delectable pasta dish. Pop down to our stores in Larnaca or Nicosia or opt for the convenience of our e-shop for quick and seamless home delivery right to your doorstep, ensuring a hassle-free experience. Then all that’s left is for you to relish every spoonful and share your culinary triumphs on social media.