Lazio, the Italian region of which Rome is the capital, has four famous simple classic pasta dishes with similar ingredients:

• Cacio pepe: pecorino + black pepper
• Gricia: guanciale + pecorino + black pepper
• Carbonara: guanciale + pecorino + black pepper + egg yolk
• Amatriciana: guanciale + pecorino + black pepper + white wine + chilli flakes

Recently my friend Melvin pointed out that there is a fifth one called Zozzona, which I had never heard of before. But it turns out that it has been around since the 1960s and it is exceptionally tasty. Zozzona is like a marriage of Carbonara and Amatriciana, but without the wine and chilli, and with the addition of onion and salsiccia (Italian pork sausage). Some people say it is a combination of all four of the classics and was invented to use leftovers from those four, but that is not correct as salsiccia and onion are in neither of them.

Zozzo is a Roman word that literally means “mess”, but it also reminds me of the Italian word ingozzarsi, which means to stuff yourself with food. The word sounds like something abundant, greasy, succulent, and rich, and that is exactly what this pasta is like. The egg yolks and tomato mix very well to become a creamy yet ‘fresh’ (as in balanced rather than heavy) sauce. The pecorino, guanciale, and salsiccia provide great depth of flavor. This is comfort food at its best.

Some recipes call for passata (sieved tomatoes), other recipes for canned cherry tomatoes. I decided to use fresh cherry tomatoes as they are abundant at the moment, and to give a touch of summer to this dish. I liked the fresh flavor they provided but not so much the skins, so I’ll probably use passata from now on.

Rigatoni is the usual pasta shape for this, as pieces of salsiccia and guanciale get inside the tubes, and the ridges are great for holding the sauce. Other short ribbed pasta tubes such as mezze maniche would also work.

Ingredients

For 2 servings

• 160 grams (.35 lb) rigatoni
• 250 grams (1 cup) sieved tomatoes (passata) or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 50 grams (1 small) minced onion
• 75 grams (3 oz) guanciale (or pancetta), sliced into thin strips
• 150 grams (.33 lb) salsiccia (Italian sausage), taken out of its casing
• 25 grams (1 oz) freshly grated pecorino romano + more for garnish
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and add 75 grams of guanciale in strips.

Stir over medium heat until the guanciale is golden brown (but not completely crisped up) and has released quite a bit of fat.

Take the guanciale out of the pan with a strainer, and reserve.

Add 50 grams of minced onion to the pan with the fat from the guanciale.

Stir over medium heat until the onion is soft, 5 to 10 minutes.

In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

Add 150 grams of salsiccia meat and increase the heat.

Stir with two wooden spatulas, breaking up the salsiccia, until the salsiccia is broken up and starting to color.

Add 250 grams of sieved tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes.

Add the reserved guanciale and season with freshly ground black pepper. (Do not season with salt, as the guanciale, salsiccia, and pecorino already provide plenty of salt.) Stir and reduce the heat to medium as soon as it boils.

Boil 160 grams of rigatoni in ample salted water for the time indicated on the package for al dente.

Simmer the sauce until the sieved tomatoes have thickened or the cherry tomatoes have fallen apart. If using cherry tomatoes, you may need to add some pasta cooking water.

In the meantime, place 2 egg yolks in a bowl.

Whisk the egg yolks.

Add 25 grams of freshly grated pecorino.

Whisk to mix the cheese with the egg yolks.

Wait until the pasta is almost done, then slowly add just a bit of the pasta cooking water to the egg yolk and pecorino mixture, while whisking. Just a few tablespoons is sufficient (I only used half the amount you see in the photo).

This is to loosen and temper the egg yolk and cheese mixture. If you add too much pasta cooking water or too quickly, you will get scrambled eggs rather than a creamy sauce.

Turn the heat to very low when the sauce is ready.

Drain the pasta when it is al dente, and add it to the sauce.

Toss over low heat for about 1 minute, until the pasta is coated with the sauce, then turn off the heat.

Make sure the heat is off, then add the egg yolk and pecorino mixture to the pasta.

Stir to mix.

Serve at once on preheated plates, sprinkled with some more freshly grated pecorino, and a dash of freshly ground black pepper.