The Roman Pasta Quartet: Variations on a Theme

Italian and Roman Cuisine

​Italy wasn’t a single country until 1870. Until then, it was a collection of independent states with long histories and strong traditions. The vast weight of Italian history leans to the past along with centrifugal attachments to its regions. Italian culture expresses these tendencies in varied forms: language, the arts, government, economic activity, and food. Italian cuisine is regional cuisine.

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​The city of Rome is situated in the central coast Italian region of Lazio. There, the food is simple, earthy and fresh, redolant of its farms and coastal waters. Prominent dishes of la cucina romana include Porchetta di Aricia (roasted rolled pork with garlic & rosemary), Abbacchio (suckling lamb), Saltimbocca (veal wrapped in prosciutto and sage), Carciofi (artichoke) alla romana and alla giuda, and the quartet of pasta dishes that are the subject of this post (Gricia, Caccio e Pepe, Carbonara, Amatriciana).

​Cucina Povera (Il Quinto Quarto)

An intriguing highlight of Rome’s cucina povera (poor cuisine) is the cucina del quinto quarto (“cooking of the fifth quarter”). The Quinto Quarto (“Fifth Quarter”) is a remnant of Roman culinary legacy that remains very present in Rome's contemporary culinary landscape. The term is a cheeky (pun intended) and intentional mathematical absurdity used to highlight the fact that (offal) parts of animals are not counted among the 4 “noble” quarters despite the fact that they equal in weight one quarter of the entire animal.

Historically, the quinto quarto was the "tail end" of a stratified social and economic system whereby meat was allocated depending on one’s status. Animals that arrived in the Testaccio mattatoio (slaughterhouse) were butchered into quarters based on quality and those quarters were distributed based on economic standing. The primo quarto of ribeye and tenderloin went to the nobility, the secondo to the clergy, the terzo to the bourgeoisie, and the quarto quarto to the military. The underclass made do with the remaining quinto quarto--the leftover bits and pieces that they struggled to improve with techniques like braising and soaking in milk.

They created dishes of nose-to-tail offal, both inside and out, that are home-based in the slaughterhouse Roman municipality of Testaccio but widely available elsewhere in Rome. One of history's ironies is that adversity fosters creativity and eventually they became fashionable bites.

​Dishes that draw on ingredients from the “Fifth Quarter” include coda alla vaccinara (braised oxtail), trippa alla romana (roman tripe), coratella (lamb heart, lungs, liver, kidney and spleen—diced and cooked with wine), and pajata/pagliata (suckling calf intestine infused by partially digested mother’s milk). The Testaccio restaurant Checchino dal 1887 has an entire menu devoted to the Quinto Quarto.

Bidding on Beef at the Mattatoio

Roman Eating Establishments and Menus

​Italian eating establishments carry several designations in order of increasing formality but there are blurred distinctions among them. The names themselves are traditional classifications and often institutions outgrow their original status. Osterias are informal places with a local orientation in their food and wine. Trattorie are family-run, middle of the road in price, service and formality and focused on local and regional offerings. Ristorante are more formal, white tablecloth establishments.

Standard menu offerings include the following headings: antipasti (before the meal), primi piatti, (pasta), secondi piatti (meat, fish or vegetable), contorni (side dishes), insalate (salads), pizza, crostini/bruschette (breads), and dolci/frutta (sweets, fruits, custards).

The normal Italian menu is à la carte. Few Roman restaurants have set fixed-price menus that are popular in France. When they do, it is called a menù prezzo fisso or menu degustazione. A typical Italian menu resembles a catalogue from which one can select portions--it’s not necessary to consume the entire show. Each menu item is individually priced and served, so while they may seem reasonable separately, they do add up for the unsuspecting diner, including a coperto (seating) charge and a separate charge for bread. However, it is common for diners to pick and choose among a limited set of courses: perhaps an antipasto followed by a primo or secondo; or a primo and insalata or contorni; such variations are at the discretion of the clientele.

Kinds of Pasta

​​Pasta is an unleavened dough made of flour, water, and sometimes eggs (pasta all’uovo) that is fashioned into shapes. When eggs are used, they bring both water and fat to the dough. The water in the whites contributes to gluten development and the fat in the yolks contribute protein affecting flavor, richness, color and texture. Fresh egg dough is pliable and suitable for stuffed pastas like tortellini and ravioli. 

​Pasta comes both fresh and dried and each version has advocates for certain purposes but they are not interchangeable. To a great extent, they reflect geographic and agricultural differences between north and south Italy. Fresh pasta, commonly made with eggs and a different flour, is mostly a north Italian phenomenon but even there it is consumed mainly on special occasions. It requires refrigeration and cooks faster with a consistent softness that works well with rich, dairy-based sauces, but it contains less starch than necessary for emulsification. It can approach gumminess when cooked or reheated. Fresh pasta is made from soft wheat and cooks quickly so it is difficult to achieve al dente because it lacks the core of firm starch that dried pasta acquires.

​Dried pasta (pasta secca) is more commonly consumed on a daily basis throughout Italy and has the virtue of cooking gradually through progressive stages of “done-ness.” At its best, when finished in a pan with fat and slowly added starchy pasta water, its sauce emulsifies and the pasta acquires the al dente combination of "bite" and creamy chewiness that many people favor.

Manufacturing processes affect dried pasta’s qualities and particularly its starch-leaching ability. The highest quality dried pasta is made with bronze dies and is dried slowly. Traditional bronze dies create a rough sandpaper-like surface that captures sauces when cooked with the pasta. Modern, Teflon-like dies produce slick, annealed hard surfaces that sauce slides off, capturing less starch. Just as important, the roughness of bronze-extruded pasta actually creates more surface area than smooth pasta and it retains traces of flour that shed in the water when cooking.

Bronze Cut (right)

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Drying is a component of the manufacturing process that affects quality. Industrial drying applies heat to quicken the process but fast drying only 2-3 hours at high temperatures burns sugars and changes the structure of the pasta. Slow drying up to 50 hours at ambient temperatures preserves flavors and aromas and provides a more porous texture to absorb sauce. It retains starches and sugars that are released in cooking water and can be emulsified in a sauce. In towns like Gragnano, south of Naples, pasta drying became a profession and mobile reed racks of pasta were escorted around town to find the best exposure to the sun and wind.

Pasta Dryers of Gragnano

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​Italy leads the world in annual per capita pasta consumption at about 25 kilograms per year, about twice the US rate. It is also the world's largest producer of pasta and exports 60% of its production. Significantly, much of the durum wheat used in that production of "Made in Italy" pasta is imported from foreign sources, mostly in Europe. 

Italy has over 350 pasta shapes and likely as many sauces.  ​The wide variety of pasta shapes is sometimes due to whimsy and sometimes to calculated pairings with certain sauces. Pasta shapes do not seriously affect taste aside from their interaction with the sauce. After all, they are all made from the same dough. However, shapes do have specific retention characteristics for certain types of sauces. Different shapes also contribute an individual texture to dishes beyond their degree of “done-ness” (i.e., al dente). Some shapes have value simply because they are “cute” like “ears” (orecchiette) or “bowties” (farfalle), or even amusing like the rustic “priest-stranglers” (strozzapreti) in the shape of a twisted rope.

Pasta shapes are often categorized by length (corta or lunga). They also vary in terms of surface morphology: smooth, ribbed, twisted, hollow, or filled/stuffed. Long, smooth pastas like spaghetti play well with oil, cream-like emulsion or egg yolk-based sauces but they need to be twirled gracefully when eaten. This required the use of forks, which was limited for some time to wealthy classes. As late as the 17th century, long pasta was consumed as street food by common folk with their hands. 

In other environments, long pastas lend themselves to a more elaborated, nested presentation on the plate, as below. 

The Nest

​Pasta Cooking and Mantecatura ​Technique

​Pasta is typically cooked by boiling in salted water and then combined with a “sauce” or else baked in the oven together with the “sauce.” The term “sauce” is often misconstrued (by non-Italians) as something to be prepared separately and then placed on top or mixed in with pasta.

​In practice, most pasta (especially dried) is best when cooked in water well short of al dente and then “finished” in the pan with the sauce. The gradual inclusion of starchy pasta water and fat “marries” it all together in an emulsion process named mantecatura. There are few more annoying (or wasteful) things than ending a pasta dish with excess and runny “sauce” remaining on the plate. The cooking technique and the overall ratio of sauce to pasta in the final product are key elements. The latter is a subtle but important matter of proportion. For many Italians, the pasta remains the primary component since sauces originated historically as mere condiments to accompany pasta.

The mantecatura process resembles the “risotto” or “evaporation” method of creating an emulsion between oil or cheese, starch and water. Oil and water don't normally blend and starch provides a stabilizer that holds things together. The word itself (the verb is mantecare) comes from the Spanish word for butter or lard (manteca), which is added towards the end of cooking risotto. It is just as relevant for pasta which follows an analogous protocol. Curiously, the word itself has never received a definitive English translation, though "saucing" seems more straightforward than common alternatives like "creaming" or "emulsifying."

As much art as it is science, mantecatura hinges heavily on manual dexterity and technique, timing, temperature control and the starch component of the pasta water or rice. The specific steps and their sequence vary with the nature of the dish and the ingredients. It is especially challenging with cacio e pepe, where cheese is the only available ingredient that has fat to blend with pasta water. It is also complicated in carbonara's inclusion of egg. In these cases, clumping or separating of cheese and curdling of eggs are unwelcome but common outcomes.  

For all of the dishes, therefore, temperature control is a vital element of the process. Cheeses have different melting points because of their moisture and fat content, age and acidity. Low moisture, aged cheeses like pecorino have a relatively high ideal “saucing” range between 145F when its protein matrix loosens enough to incorporate water and 180F when it separates into a greasy mess. The boiling point of pasta’s cooking water is 212F. This means there is a delicate dance between the temperature of the pasta, the reserved pasta water, and the cheese during the limited window of time when they are combined. Eggs in carbonara complicate the process even further and require tempering and a gradual application of heat. If the pasta is finished in a skillet, there must be a pregnant, cooling pause before the addition of cheese or egg.

Mantecatura is therefore a delicate and error-prone process. Consequently, it is one of the most "eyes-on" techniques of Italian cuisine. It requires saving 1-2 cups of starchy pasta water and removing the pasta from its cooking water 3-4 minutes early. The pasta is transferred to a skillet containing either a prepared sauce or simply pasta water.  If there is prepared sauce, then reserved pasta water is gradually introduced after the pasta. In either case, the reduced quantity of liquid augments the starch ratio during the remainder of cooking. Cooking continues with constant agitation of the pasta which ensures even cooking and accelerated evaporation of the water. When the pasta is done to satisfaction, either the heat is lowered or the skillet is removed from the heat. At this juncture, temperature control is critical. In the absence of pre-existing fat in a sauce, some fat is gradually added in the form of finely grated cheese, oil, or butter while continuously agitating the pasta to evaporate water and create an emulsion binding the normally antagonistic oil and water.

When it comes to "agitating" the pasta in the skillet, it can be folded or flipped. Folding typically uses a spatula or tongs to move and fold the pasta in the pan. Flipping is a move with acquired skill that tosses the pasta in the air and catches it back into the pan. This requires a wok-like saltapasta skillet that is lightweight with sloped high walls that act as a "ski jump" for the food on its takeoff. The flip is quicker and more dramatic than the fold and creates a dynamic admixture of ingredients, but it is potentially messy and requires practice. Lest the process intimidate neophytes, it is worth noting that a similar “pan flip” maneuver is commonly used in diners to flip pancakes and omelettes. Caution recommends, though, using the right kind of pan and practicing the motion first with solid, dry material in the pan like beans, rice, popcorn or cheerios.

​Since mantecatura's success is uncertain, backdoor efforts have been made to “zhuzh” the process. These mostly address the critical factor of the pasta water's starch component. The importance of starch is similar to its role in a roux, which is equal parts fat and flour cooked together and hydrated by a liquid. As shown below, the ratio of water to pasta can be substantial.  

Less Water, More Starch

​Steps to enhance the success of mantecatura involve several approaches: using high quality "bronze-cut" and long-dried pasta brands that shed more starch; reducing the volume of cooking water to increase the starch ratio (the "skillet" method); using only imported and finely-grated, aged  pecorino cheese; making a paste of the cheese and pasta water prior to mixing; and, even, artificially increasing the starch component by adding a cornstarch slurry to the mixture. The last two methods may have "legs" because they are easy and effective, while the first three in combination are also effective but more "purist" and demanding of skills.

Pasta/Sauce Pairing

Ribbed and curved or twisted shapes “catch” pieces of meat, fish or vegetable in sauces that might otherwise sink to the bottom. Some shapes are similar enough to be interchangeable for use with a given sauce, like penne and rigatoni (different only in the angle of their cut) or spaghetti, tonnarelli, linguini and bucatini. Occasionally, the name of a particularly appropriate pasta becomes married to that of the sauce (e.g. spaghetti alle vongole, farfalle al salmone, penne arrabbiata, bucatini all’amatriciana).

Certain sauces almost demand a specific type of pasta. A hearty ragù sauce like Bolognese from the Emilia-Romagna region almost always accompanies a substantial wide, egg-based flat pasta like tagliatelle, fettucine or pappardelle. These noodles have the resilience and surface area to retain and balance the robust bolognese which is primarily a meat-based sauce. The Italian name ragù comes from the French ragoût which colloquially means “stew” and derives literally from ra-goûter ("revive appetite"). It is a slow-cooked, meat-and-vegetable based stew that Napoleon’s soldiers brought to Italy during their 1796 invasion. It apparently nourished French troops well as they quickly established control over north and central Italy. Italian chef Alberto Alvisi adopted the recipe for the Cardinal of Imola and it spread throughout Italy both as a stew and a condiment for pasta.

Pappardelle Bolognese

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​Linguine is often a preferred pasta shape for seafood dishes (frutti di mare or vongole). Linguini is a lissome pasta that is long, flat, thin and slightly curved, giving it good absorptive qualities for thin but tasty seafood sauces. Its texture is delicately unobtrusive, allowing the seafood combination to shine. Linguini pasta originated in the northwest Italian coastal region of Liguria and its name means "little tongues," a shape that its curved flatness resembles. Besides seafood, it is often paired with pesto, another product from the region, and simple aglio e olio ("garlic and oil).

Linguine Frutta di Mare

​The Roman Pasta Quartet: Variations on a Theme

​Like a  Bach fugue of musical variations on a theme, the “Pasta Quartet” consists of 4 classic Roman pasta dishes with simple, overlapping ingredients that require adept technique (mantecatura) and balance among the ingredients to achieve effective sauce emulsion and flavor. These dishes are Gricia, Cacio e Pepe, Carbonara, and Amatriciana. They are stalwarts of the Roman culinary republic. The short list of ingredients resembles musical notes that rise and fall in each preparation when paired with an appropriate pasta and the orchestration of mantecatura.

The Fabulous 4

Pecorino Romano

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​Pecorino romano (sheep) cheese weaves through all of them and marries its sharp, earthy taste and good melting qualities (when aged and freshly and finely grated) with starchy pasta water in the blending of sauce. Pepper that is toasted and ground reaches a high note with its solo performance in Cacio e Pepe and strikes a more modest pose in Gricia, Amatriciana and Carbonara as well. Guanciale,  cured and aged with warm spices, expresses base tones throughout all dishes except cacio e pepe, where it stands aside to let pecorino, water and pepe shine. Amatriciana summons tomato for an acid note. Carbonara tones things down with its silken egg-yolk texture and soothing duet of sheep's sharp pecorino and mellow (cow's milk) parmiggiano-reggiano cheese. Varied pasta shapes compete to don these sauces and showcase their particular attributes. High quality throughout is assured with slow-dried, bronze-extruded pasta.

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Pepe, Toasted and Ground

Cacio e Pepe, the lean "mother" dish of them all combines  pecorino romano and toasted black pepper with starchy pasta water and pasta for an unexpectedly creamy sauce.  The word cacio is a central Italian synonym for formaggio and derives from the Latin word for cheese, "caseus." The sauce in C&P nicely drapes toothy strands of tonnarelli (alla chitarra), spaghetti or similar pasta. ​

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Guanciale

​Pasta alla Gricia introduces luscious, crispy guanciale (pork jowl) fat rendered and emulsified with starchy pasta water, with a dusting of pecorino romano cheese and bloomed pepper. Gricia clothes the ribs of rigatoni pasta that catch the sauce and crispy chunks of guanciale nestle inside its hollow tubes.  

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Uova e Pecorino Romano

Carbonara retains guanciale and its fat and blends a mixture of sweet, nutty parmiggiano and  pecorino with whole eggs or just egg yolks to form a creamy sauce emulsified with starchy water. Its silkiness shows best when draping lengthy spaghetti or tonnarelli pasta enlivened by a shower of pepe, but it also combines well with rigatoni’s vibe of ribs and tubes.

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Guanciale e Pomodori

Amatriciana, from the town of Amatrice, keeps guanciale at center stage but subs tomato and (sometimes) onion for egg, and assigns pecorino a decorative role. It pairs equally well with bucatini’s discrete hollow center or rigatoni's ribs and tubes.

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Despite the ostensible simplicity and excellence of the Roman Pasta Quartet, issues remain that continue to animate the airwaves. In terms of ingredients, these include: substitutions of pancetta or bacon for guanciale; replacement some or all pecorino romano cheese by parmigiano-reggiano; and, use of whole eggs, only yolks or a combination. To some extent, views on these issues reflect ages-old philosophical differences between purists who disapprove adjustments to traditional formulae and experimenters who relish new paths. Lacking copyright or trademark protection, the culinary arts are rich with experimentation.

There are also innate differences of taste among parties. Some people find pecorino too sharp. Others find that only yolks in carbonara is cloying. Such taste variations are largely immune to argument. Practicality also enters the picture. Guanciale may not be easy to find. Separating yolks from whites is inconvenient. There are also different perspectives about techniques like pasta water reduction and egg tempering, which have a practical dimension. In such a context, the primary motive for continued discussion is understanding, not acceptance. That is a topic for another blog. So, for the present,

Buona Tavola!