Rome has given a home to some of the most amazing architecture, culture, and family values we know today… and of course, PASTA! Rome has four classic core pastas that are the mainstays of Italian cuisine and the foundation of the sauces we love eating, such as pasta alla vodka, alfredo, and even pesto. The sauce for all these recipes comes together between eight and twelve minutes, which gives you JUST enough time to cook and toss your pasta. MANGIA! These famous four are: Amatriciana, Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe, and pasta alla Gricia.
What do I hope you gather from all of these recipes? Don’t serve up plain noodles with no sauce and buy yourself a nice piece of aged Pecorino Romano. Finish your cheese in your pasta at the end and let your pasta dance with the sauce in the pan, then twirl it around in your mouth for the final performance.
Bucatini alla Amatriciana
Say it with me, Ama-tree-shanna! This was one of my standout favorites of the four pastas we made for this video. Guanciale and red sauce are a beautiful harmony of flavor to then finish with that funky Pecorino cheese, Fuggit about it! It reminds me of my grandma’s Tuna Mac. Never heard of this one? You won’t forget it!
Check out the recipe here: Bucatini alla Amatriciana.
Chitarra alla Carbonara
Carbonara! The most recognizable of all four pastas of Rome and by far the most improvised. It’s just four ingredients, but sometimes people want to add ham or peas, or CREAM! Close your ears Italians. The beauty of this recipe is in the egg yolks and the Parmigiano Reggiano. All you need for this one is patience. Make a paste from the yolks, ladle in hot pasta water, toss the hot pasta in the sauce, and let the pasta do the rest! If you’ve waited this long to try carbonara, let this article be your sign.
Check out this recipe here: Chitarra Alla Carbonara
Spaghetti alla Cacio e Pepe
Okay, say this one slow, Catcho – EE – Peh Peh. The simplest pasta of the bunch. This pasta truly relies on the process of mounting in your pasta water to your cooked pasta and a little dab of Pecorino Romano. This tiny dab of cheese will stick to your pasta with the freshly cracked black pepper as the water quickly evaporates and absorbs into your pasta leaving this light, but salty flavor coat your taste buds. The art is in the amount of cheese you add, then please, finish with all the cheese when you plate.
Check out this recipe here: Spaghetti Alla Cacio E Pepe
Rigatoni alla Gricia
Lastly, we have Rigatoni all Gree – Cha. The most underrated of the four pastas. This highlights the same methods in Cacio e Pepe but also adds guanciale. The pork fat is rendered and then tossed with the pasta, Pecorino, and black pepper. Finish this one with all that crisp-tender guanciale and lots of Pecorino. If you have leftover Guanciale from Amatriciana or Carbonara, this one deserves your attention.
Check out this recipe here: Rigatoni alla Gricia