Tagliolini with lemon, pepper and guanciale
- Published: 25 Sep 17
- Updated: 10 Sep 24
“Everything tastes better with butter – and lemon, dare I say. In this recipe, guanciale is cooked ceremoniously on its own in a pan to make it crisp. When it meets the velvety lemon-based sauce and is spiced up with fragrant toasted black pepper, it’s a match made in heaven…” – Eleonora Galasso.
- Serves 6
- Hands-on time 35 min
Ingredients
- 20 whole black peppercorns
- 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- Finely grated zest and juice 2 lemons
- Small bunch fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 50g black taggiasca olives (or other black olives), pitted and roughly chopped
- 50g parmesan, finely grated
- 20g unsalted butter
- 200g guanciale, cut into 1cm cubes
- 500g tagliolini pasta
Method
- Toast the peppercorns in a small, dry frying pan over a gentle heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, then grind or crush them to a rough powder using a pestle and mortar.
- Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat, then add the shallot and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add the lemon juice along with half the crushed black pepper and half the thyme, then cook for 2 more minutes. Take the pan off the heat and immediately add half the olives, the parmesan and butter, letting the butter and cheese melt in the residual heat of the pan.
- Meanwhile, fry the guanciale pieces in a small frying pan over a medium heat, stirring, for 10 minutes until lightly golden (you won’t need any oil as the guanciale will release its fat). Spoon off and discard half the fat from the pan, then set the fried guanciale and remaining fat aside.
- Bring a large saucepan of well salted water to the boil, add the tagliolini and cook until al dente (firm to the bite), according to the packet instructions. Drain, reserving a cupful of the cooking water, then return the tagliolini to the pan.
- Pour the lemon/olive mixture over the pasta, then add the crispy guanciale and its fat. Quickly stir everything together, adding a splash or two of the reserved cooking → water, until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Sprinkle over the rest of the thyme, olives and pepper and the lemon zest, then serve immediately.
- Recipe from August 2017 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 579kcals
- Fat
- 27.5g (9g saturated)
- Protein
- 19.3g
- Carbohydrates
- 61g (2.2g sugars)
- Fibre
- 4.9g
- Salt
- 1.5g
delicious. tips
Guanciale is an Italian cured pork meat made from the pig’s jowl or cheek. If you can’t find it, use pancetta or bacon lardons instead.
Buy ingredients online
Rate & review
Rate
Reviews
Subscribe to our magazine
Food stories, skills and tested recipes, straight to your door... Enjoy 5 issues for just £5 with our special introductory offer.
SubscribeUnleash your inner chef
Looking for inspiration? Receive the latest recipes with our newsletter