1lbgirelle pasta or pipette rigate, medium shells, etc.
Thinly sliced chivesfor garnish
Lemon zestoptional
Guanciale Breadcrumbs
4ozdiced guancialeyou can sub with pancetta but the guanciale really makes it!
¾cuppanko breadcrumbs
Kosher salt and pepperto taste
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add in the onions and wine. Season with salt and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 45 to 50 minutes, until the onions are very very soft but not brown, uncovering to stir every now and then. Lower the heat if needed to prevent any browning.
While the onions cook, blanch the spinach/chives and make the topping. To blanch: add spinach and chives to the boiling water, boil for 15-20 seconds then immediately transfer to an ice bath (save the boiling water for cooking the pasta later). Once the greens are cold, squeeze out as much water as possible from the greens. Roughly chop and set aside.
For the topping: Add guanciale to a medium saute pan. Turn heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until golden brown and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour out all but 2 Tbsp of fat from the pan and add in panko.* Toast panko, stirring constantly until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl.
Finely chop the crispy guanciale and toss with the toasted breadcrumbs. Season with pepper and salt if needed. Set aside.
When the onions are soft, add them to a blender along with the blanched greens and cream. Carefully(start on low as the mixture will be hot!), blend until very smooth. Blend, blend, blend! ** Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heavily season the boiling water with salt. Add in pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve a mug full of pasta water. Strain the pasta and add it back to the same pot.
With the heat on low, add in the onion sauce, and pecorino. Toss to coat, adding splashes of pasta water as needed to create a nice sauce-y pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Served topped with a touch of sliced chives, the panko guanciale topping, pecorino, black pepper and lemon zest if desired.
Video
Notes
*Depending on your guanciale, there might be too much fat, just the right amount, or maybe even not enough. If there isn’t about 2 tbsp of fat left in the pan, add enough olive oil to make it about 2 tbsp.**When blending hot things, do not fill up the blender all the way to the top. If you have a small blender, do this in batches.