We offer this classic Roman recipe in chef Stefano Bartolucci's version and pair it with a wine from the Marche region: the Marche Impero Blanc de Pinot Noir 2021 Fattoria Mancini.
Ingredients for 4 persons:
360 g mezze maniche; 200 g guanciale; 100 g pecorino romano DOP; peppercorns to taste.
Procedure:
Cut the guanciale into strips and brown it in a pan without oil until it becomes crispy. Remove it from the pan and place it on a plate. The melted fat from the guanciale will later be used to cream the pasta.
Meanwhile, place 50 g grated pecorino romano cheese and 50 ml warm water in a container and mix until thickened using a small whisk or immersion blender.
Cook the pasta until al dente, drain it coarsely and pour it into the guanciale fat. Add half a ladleful of cooking water and stir.
Once the water in the pan has shrunk, add half of the crispy guanciale and stir-fry for a minute, then turn off the heat and let it rest for a minute. It is important to let the paste rest to lower its temperature because the casein in Pecorino Romano coagulates at 55°C, so you would run the risk of tearing or spinning the cheese.
At this point, add the remaining 50 g of pecorino romano cheese, stir again and serve, pouring the pecorino romano cream and the remaining crispy guanciale over the pasta. Sprinkle with ground peppercorns.
Wine pairing:
(Edited by Stefania Vinciguerra)
Marches Empire Blanc de Pinot Noir 2021
Bright yellow color. The nose is intense with notes of herbs and yellow plum, with an elegant underline of flint. The palate is full, powerful but perfectly balanced with a firm progression and a fresh, relaxed finish.
Production area: in the Colli Pesaresi Focara Pinot Noir DOC area, the Vigna di Fontebocale vineyard in Fiorenzuola di Focara in the Monte San Bartolo Natural Park, one kilometer from the coast, altitude 100/150 meters, on silty, deep, calcareous soils with a high sandy component.
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir.
Harvest: the last week of August and the first week of September. Hand-harvested, in 15Kg grilled boxes. Transportation of grapes in boxes, in mobile refrigerated cell equipped with independent motor: the grapes are cooled as soon as they are harvested thanks to the mobile cell deposited in the vineyard early in the morning and picked up by the tractor at 6 p.m. each day. Average yield 45 q/ha
Vinification: pressing of grapes at 9°C, not destemmed; extraction of must flower up to 50 percent by weight of loaded grapes, static decantation of must without use of clarifiers. Fermentation in barrique at 18°C in temperature-controlled room, complete malolactic fermentation. Maturation 12 months in barrique on lees with bâtonnage (20% new).
Alcohol content: 14% vol.
Serving temperature: 10-12°C.
Notes: Impero Blanc de Pinot Noir is the result of more than forty years of winery experience in the white vinification of Pinot Noir and, above all, the desirè to produce an important white using only the varieties̀ historically grown by the family. Since the presentation of the first vintage, produced with the 1998 vintage, it has quickly become a true corporate flagship.
