Rigatoni Con Guanciale E Cipolla

Rigatoni with guanciale and onion. 

Photo by Jenny 

This recipe is from Williams Sonoma Italian Cooking, but adapted by Jenny. My family and I wanted to go to a restaurant called Louis in downtown, Saint Paul, but we never got the chance. They had a guanciale rigatoni on their menu. When I bought the Williams Sonoma Cookbook, I saw a similar recipe in their book and immediately decided to cook this. Well, this is it! So simple and delicious. The guanciale is very thin and shrivels up but adds a salty bite to the dish.

Serves: 4-6 people

Ingredients:

•  1 sweet red onion, julienned
• 1/4 cup of white white or vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon of extra-olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon of sugar 
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

Directions:

•    In a small pan on low heat, combine the onion, vinegar, olive oil, sugar and pinch of salt. Stir about 5 minutes until the onion wilts.
•  At the same time, in a large, deep frying pan, fry the guanciale or pancetta until quite crisp over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Remove half the guanciale pieces and set aside in a warm place. Add the cooked onion to the guanciale in the pan and keep warm over the lowest setting.
•    Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta. Remember to salt the water before. Drain the pasta after the pasta is cooked to al dente.
•  Add the noodles to the guanciale and onion. Remove the pan from the heat and toss the pasta to coat thoroughly. Add the cheese. Toss again.
•   When ready to serve, sprinkle the reserved guanciale or pancetta with 4 grinds of pepper for each person.