Roman cacio e pepe with just pasta, Pecorino Romano and black pepper, emulsified into a glossy, creamy sauce.
About this Italian recipe
Cacio e pepe, meaning cheese and pepper, is one of the simplest Roman pastas and one of the hardest to get right. The trick is controlling the temperature so the cheese melts into a sauce instead of clumping.
Ingredients you will need
The main ingredients are tonnarelli or spaghetti, pecorino romano, black peppercorns, salt. Exact quantities are in the recipe card below.
How long it takes
Allow 17 min in total: 5 min of preparation, 12 min of cooking. The recipe serves 4.
Cacio e Pepe
Roman cacio e pepe with just pasta, Pecorino Romano and black pepper, emulsified into a glossy, creamy sauce.
Ingredients
Method
- Toast the crushed pepper in a dry, wide frying pan for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Cook the pasta in less water than usual, lightly salted, so the water becomes starchy.
- Add a ladle of pasta water to the pepper pan and let it simmer.
- In a bowl, mix the Pecorino with a few spoonfuls of lukewarm pasta water to a thick paste.
- Transfer the pasta, slightly undercooked, to the pepper pan and toss for 1 minute.
- Take the pan off the heat, add the cheese paste and toss vigorously, adding splashes of water until the sauce is creamy. Serve immediately.
Notes
If the cheese clumps, the pan is too hot. Let it cool for 30 seconds and keep tossing with a little lukewarm water.
