Pasta Burro e Parmigiano (For Americans: “Alfredo”)

Last updated: December 20, 2025

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 L water
20 g kosher salt
175 g capellini
30 g really good French butter
30 g Parm-Reg, grated

Directions

2 L water
20 g kosher salt

Heat the water and salt in a large pan over high heat.

175 g capellini

Add the pasta to the water, and cook for 2 minutes less than whatever the al dente time is. Transfer to another pan large enough to toss the pasta and turn the heat to medium. Reserve 350 ml (about a cup and a half) of the pasta water, though you’ll likely only need 200 ml.

30 g really good French butter
30 g Parm-Reg, grated
Reserved pasta water

Add the butter and toss to create the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and give it a minute to cool down before adding the cheese. If you add the cheese while the pan’s too hot, it’ll turn into glue. Add the cheese and a splash of the reserved water and stir or toss to combine. The sauce should be fairly thick, thick enough that there shouldn’t be extra sauce in the bowl when you finish eating. Almost all of it should stick to the noodles.

Cacio e Pepe

Last updated: December 20, 2025

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 L water
20 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt
150 g good Spaghetti
50 g pecorino romano cheese, finely grated
freshly ground black tellicherry pepper

Directions

2 L water
20 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt
150 g good Spaghetti

Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente.

50 g pecorino romano cheese, finely grated
freshly ground black tellicherry pepper

Put the cheese and pepper in a bowl large enough to hold the pasta. When the pasta is about a minute shy of being al dente, reserve a cup or so of pasta water. Add ~1/4 cup of the water to the cheese and whisk together to create a sauce. It should be glossy, and not super runny. Use a spider to transfer the pasta to the bowl and stir to combine. Add a little water or extra cheese if necessary to loosen or tighten the sauce as necessary. The sauce should stick to the noodles, and should not be runny.

How to Make Pasta alla Gricia

Last updated: March 8, 2026

Serves 4

Ingredients

200 g (7 oz) guanciale, 1/2-inch-cubes
2 g (2 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
100 g (3.5 oz) Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving, freshly grated
2 L water
20 g diamond crystal kosher salt
300 g (10.5 oz) rigatoni. Use good stuff. I love pasta from Gragnano.

Directions

200 g (7 oz) guanciale, 1/2-inch-cubes

Fry the guanciale in a pan over medium-low heat. If the fat starts smoking, lower the heat. If it’s barely cooking, turn it up. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the fat.

2 g (2 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
100 g (3.5 oz) Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving, freshly grated
Reserved guanciale fat

Add to a large bowl, stir to combine, and set aside.

2 L water
20 g diamond crystal kosher salt
300 g (10.5 oz) rigatoni

Add the water and salt to a pot and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to just under al dente.

When the pasta has two minutes cook time remaining, transfer 60-120 ml (2-4 oz) of the pasta water to the bowl and whisk to dissolve the cheese and emulsify the sauce. Add the water a little at a time. You want the sauce to be glossy and the consistency of warm maple syrup. It should stick to the noodles, not pool in the bowl. If it looks too thick, add a little more water. Add the guanciale and stir to combine.

Transfer the pasta to the bowl, and stir to combine. The sauce will thicken a little. I set the bowl over the pasta pot to keep it warm. If you do this, turn the pasta pan to low, or the cheese will coagulate.

Divide among 4 bowls and serve with extra cheese and a grind or two of pepper.

Notes

• To see what guanciale looks like and how to prepare it, watch the first minute of this video.

• Use guanciale. Not pancetta. Not bacon. Guanciale. If you’re ordering from a deli or grocery delivery service (I use Mercato to deliver Eataly) tell them not to slice or dice it for you.