Guanciale Pasta alla Gricia

This was the New York Times recipe for Pasta alla Gricia that accompanied the great article by Florence Fabricant for Bucatini all’Amatriciana (or more specifically, the article was about guanciale). Micheal Tucker also gave a demo on the Martha Stewart show for Bucatini all’Amatriciana. I was not impressed with the NY Times version of Bucatini all'Amatricana, but we both loved the Pasta alla Gricia. However, you'll notice that Tucker really upped the fat, cheese, and guanciale for Martha's show (and audience). It makes me wonder if New Yorkers are that willing to give up flavor for calories, or if the rest of America needs huge boosts of flavor for satisfaction.

Recipe: Pasta alla Gricia from the New York Times


Published: January 16, 2008
Adapted from Sandro Fioriti
Time: 20 minutes
Salt
1 pound bucatini or rigatoni
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thin
6 ounces guanciale, in 1-inch slivers 1/4-inch thick
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup grated aged pecorino cheese, more for serving.
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add bucatini or rigatoni.
2. Meanwhile, place a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, onion and guanciale. Cook until onion is translucent and barely starting to brown. Remove from heat.
3. When pasta is al dente, drain it, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Transfer pasta to skillet, place over medium-low heat and toss with guanciale and onion. Season with salt and generously with pepper; fold in about half the pasta water and the cheese. Toss, adding more pasta water as needed to help cheese coat pasta. Check seasoning and serve, with more cheese on the side.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Recipe: Bucatini all’Amatriciana
Published: January 16, 2008
Adapted from Michael Tucker
Time: 45 minutes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 pound guanciale, in 1-inch slivers 1/4 -inch thick
3 cups canned San Marzano tomatoes (about a 28-ounce can)
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes, or to taste
Salt
1/4 cup grated aged pecorino cheese, more for serving
1 pound bucatini.
1. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet. Add onion and garlic, and sauté over medium heat until transparent. Add guanciale and sauté until barely beginning to brown.
2. Break up tomatoes and add. Cook about 15 minutes, crushing tomatoes with a spoon, until sauce has become somewhat concentrated and homogenized. Season with chili and salt and stir in 1 tablespoon cheese. Remove from heat.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add bucatini and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and transfer to skillet. Gently reheat contents of skillet, folding pasta and tomato sauce together until they are heated through and pasta is well-coated, about 5 minutes. Fold in remaining cheese. Check seasoning and serve with more cheese on the side.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.


From Michael Tucker and as adapted from the New York Times by the Martha Stewart show.
Serves 4 to 6
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound guanciale, cut into 1-by-1/4-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 small clove garlic, sliced
3 cups (from about one 28-ounce can) canned whole plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Coarse salt
1 pound bucatini pasta
1 1/2 cups freshly grated aged pecorino cheese, plus more for serving

1. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add guanciale and cook, stirring, until barely beginning to brown. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until translucent.

2. Crush tomatoes and add to skillet. Cook, crushing tomatoes with the back of a spoon, until sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes; season with red pepper flakes and salt.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add bucatini and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to skillet. Return skillet to heat and fold pasta and sauce together until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Fold in 1 1/2 cups cheese; season with salt and serve immediately with more cheese, if desired.

Blueberry Scones

Blueberry Scones From Cooks Illustrated
Published: July 1, 2007
Makes 8



It is important to work the dough as little as possible—work quickly and knead and fold the dough only the number of times called for. The butter should be frozen solid before grating. In hot or humid environments, chill the flour mixture and workbowls before use. While the recipe calls for 2 whole sticks of butter, only 10 tablespoons are actually used (see step 1). If fresh berries are unavailable, an equal amount of frozen berries (do not defrost) can be substituted. An equal amount of raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries can be used in place of the blueberries. Cut larger berries into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces before incorporating. Refrigerate or freeze leftover scones, wrapped in foil, in an airtight container. To serve, remove foil and place scones on a baking sheet in a 375-degree oven. Heat until warmed through and recrisped, 8 to 10 minutes if refrigerated, 16 to 20 minutes if frozen. See final step for information on making the scone dough in advance.
INGREDIENTS
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), frozen whole (see note above)
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (about 7 1/2 ounces), picked over (see note)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces), plus additional for work surface
1/2 cup sugar (3 1/2 ounces), plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Score and remove half of wrapper from each stick of frozen butter. Following photo at left, grate unwrapped ends on large holes of box grater (you should grate total of 8 tablespoons). Place grated butter in freezer until needed. Melt 2 tablespoons of remaining ungrated butter and set aside. Save remaining 6 tablespoons butter for another use. Place blueberries in freezer until needed.
2. Whisk together milk and sour cream in medium bowl; refrigerate until needed. Whisk flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in medium bowl. Add frozen butter to flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.
3. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula until just combined. With rubber spatula, transfer dough to liberally floured work surface. Dust surface of dough with flour; with floured hands, knead dough 6 to 8 times, until it just holds together in ragged ball, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.
4. Roll dough into approximate 12-inch square. Following illustrations, fold dough into thirds like a business letter, using bench scraper or metal spatula to release dough if it sticks to countertop. Lift short ends of dough and fold into thirds again to form approximate 4-inch square. Transfer dough to plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in freezer 5 minutes.
5. Transfer dough to floured work surface and roll into approximate 12-inch square again. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over surface of dough, then press down so they are slightly embedded in dough. Using bench scraper or thin metal spatula, loosen dough from work surface. Roll dough, pressing to form tight log. Lay seam-side down and press log into 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using sharp, floured knife, cut rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving.
To Make Ahead:After placing the scones on the baking sheet, either refrigerate them overnight or freeze. When ready to bake, for refrigerated scones, heat oven to 425 degrees and follow directions in step 6. For frozen scones, heat oven to 375 degrees, follow directions in step 6, and extend cooking time to 25 to 30 minutes.