Pasta with Spinach Cream and Guanciale

Method

1. Slice the guanciale into strips.
2. Place the guanciale in a cold pan over very low heat and let it render slowly until crispy, about 5-6 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for a maximum of 5 minutes.
4. Drain the spinach and immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to fix the color and cool down.
5. In the same boiling water (the spinach water), cook the spaghetti until al dente.
6. Squeeze the cooled spinach to remove excess water. Place it in a blender with grated pecorino and a splash of pasta cooking water, then blend until smooth and creamy. Add more pasta water if needed to achieve a spreadable consistency.
7. Once the guanciale is crispy, remove it from the pan, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
8. Add the spinach cream to the same pan, turn the heat to medium-low, and stir. Adjust consistency with more pasta water if the cream is too thick.
9. When the pasta is al dente, drain it (reserve some cooking water) and add it to the pan with the spinach cream. Toss and mix thoroughly over heat, adding a little pasta water if needed to keep the sauce creamy.
10. Plate the pasta, top with the crispy guanciale, and finish with a generous grating of pecorino.