Spaghetti Alla Gricia

• 1 pound thick spaghetti
• 8 ounces guanciale (smoked pork jowl), thinly sliced
• black pepper to taste
• 3 ounces finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally.
2. While pasta cooks, immediately heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add guanciale and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1 ladle of pasta cooking water, stir, and cover pan. As pasta cooks, add another ladle of cooking water to the pan with the guanciale to create a sauce.
3. At about 10 minutes of pasta cooking time, reserve a cup of cooking water and drain pasta. Add spaghetti to the pan with the guanciale; toss, adding reserved cooking water if necessary. Turn off heat. Add 1/3 the Pecorino Romano cheese to the pasta and toss until creamy.
4. Divide pasta between 4 plates. Top each with remaining Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper. Serve immediately.

pork jowl, black pepper, romano cheese

Taken from www.allrecipes.com/recipe/268520/spaghetti-alla-gricia/ (may not work)