Place a frying pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and, as soon as it is hot, add the chopped bacon (or guanciale) and chopped chili pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes.

In the meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water for the time indicated on the pasta bow. Then drain and toss the pasta with the previously prepared sauce.

Serve with grated pecorino.

Food History

Pasta alla gricia is a fairly old preparation that uses ingredients typically found in the mountainous zone of the regions of Lazio and Abruzzo: guanciale, or pork jowl, and pecorino. Considered to be the ancestor of pasta all’amatriciana, pasta alla gricia is a symbol of the sheepherding culture in the area. The name of the dish probably comes from the term that the Romans used to refer to the people living in the Apennine mountains, or “grici.”

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