Pasta alla gricia

What to get ready

• Rigatoni noodles 400 g
• Salted pork cheek (guanciale) 200 g
• Pecorino cheese 120 g
• Black pepper 8 g
• Salt 20 g

Method

1. 1 Slice the salted pork cheek into sticks about 1 cm thick.
2. 2 Fry the meat in a cool pan over medium heat for 7 minutes until the fat melts and the meat is golden brown and crispy, then remove and set aside.
3. 3 Boil rigatoni pasta in salted water for 10 minutes, reserving one bowl of the boiling water.
4. 4 Add the noodles to a pan with oil and a few tablespoons of boiling water, stir for 1 minute over low heat.
5. 5 Turn off the heat, sprinkle with grated Pecorino cheese and black pepper, and stir vigorously until the sauce thickens.
6. 6 Mix the crispy meat together and serve immediately while hot.

With an appliance

• Air fryer 31 min

  Replace step 2: air-grill the pork cheek at 190 degrees for 8 minutes, turning it once every 5 minutes; the cooking time isn't significantly faster, but the meat is evenly crispy, less grease splatters, and you don't need to constantly monitor the pan.