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Lazio · Zozzona

Pasta alla Zozzona

Rome's 'dirty' pasta — a glorious collision of carbonara, amatriciana, and cacio e pepe in one unapologetically rich bowl.

Total

35 min

Prep

10 min

Cook

25 min

Serves

4

IntermediateRomanDecadentHybridRichUnapologetic
Pasta alla Zozzona — Zozzona

The Story

Where it comes from

The name zozzona roughly means 'dirty' or 'messed up' — and this dish is exactly that: a beautiful mess of everything Roman. Guanciale, tomato, egg yolk, pecorino, and pepper all share the same pan. It's what happens when you can't choose between Rome's four classic sauces, so you have them all at once. Purists may scoff. Everyone else will ask for seconds.

Mise en Place

Ingredients

For 4 servings. Quantities are by weight where it matters — Italian cooking is a math of grams and minutes.

For the pasta

  • Rigatoni or mezze maniche

    400 g

  • Coarse sea salt

    for water

For the sauce

  • Guanciale

    cut into batons

    200 g

  • Egg yolks

    3 large

  • San Marzano tomatoes

    crushed by hand

    200 g

  • Pecorino Romano DOP

    finely grated

    80 g

  • Black peppercorns

    freshly cracked

    1.5 tsp

  • Extra-virgin olive oil

    1 tbsp

Equipment

Heavy skilletTongsWhisk

The Method

Chef-led, step by step

  1. 1

    Render the guanciale

    8 min

    Cook guanciale in a cold skillet over medium-low heat until fat renders and edges are crisp, 8 minutes. Remove half to a paper towel for garnish. Leave the rest in the pan.

  2. 2

    Add tomato

    10 min

    Add crushed tomatoes to the remaining guanciale and fat. Simmer 10 minutes until thickened.

  3. 3

    Cook pasta

    10 min

    Boil pasta 2 minutes under al dente. Reserve 1 cup starchy water.

  4. 4

    Build the yolk cream

    2 min

    Whisk yolks with pecorino and pepper into a thick paste. Loosen with 2 tbsp cool water.

  5. 5

    Marry everything

    2 min

    Drain pasta into the tomato-guanciale pan (off heat). Toss 30 seconds. Add the yolk cream and a splash of pasta water. Toss until glossy. Top with reserved crispy guanciale.

Chef tips

  • ·Use less tomato than amatriciana — this is a hybrid, not a red sauce.
  • ·Reserve some crispy guanciale for the top. Texture matters.
  • ·Off-heat for the yolk cream, just like carbonara. Heat is the enemy.

Common mistakes

  • ·Too much tomato — it should tint, not dominate.
  • ·Scrambling the yolks. Off heat, always.
  • ·Adding cream. That would make it something else entirely.

The Cellar

Wine pairings

Frascati Superiore

Lazio

Crisp, mineral — the only thing light enough to cut through this richness.

Cesanese del Piglio

Lazio

If you want red — peppery, bright, local.

Shopping List

What to bring home

  • Rigatoni or mezze maniche400 g
  • Coarse sea saltfor water
  • Guanciale200 g
  • Egg yolks3 large
  • San Marzano tomatoes200 g
  • Pecorino Romano DOP80 g
  • Black peppercorns1.5 tsp
  • Extra-virgin olive oil1 tbsp

Questions

Frequently asked

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