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Italy, Europe

Cacio e Pepe

Rome's three-ingredient pasta: spaghetti tossed with Pecorino Romano, toasted black pepper and starchy pasta water into a silky, peppery cream.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time20 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Grate the pecorino as finely as you can (a fine rasp grater is best) into a bowl: fine, fluffy cheese melts smoothly, coarse shreds turn into lumps. Crush the peppercorns coarsely in a mortar or under the base of a heavy pan.

  2. Pour the water into a 20 cm pot and bring it to a boil over high heat (). Add the salt; use less than usual because pecorino is already salty. Using less water than usual also makes it starchier, and that starch is what turns the cheese into a sauce.

    Add in this stepWater for the pasta 2 LSalt for the pasta water 8 g

    high heat

  3. Add the pasta, stir so it doesn't stick and cook for over high heat, about 2 minutes less than the packet says; it will finish cooking in the pan.

    Add in this stepTonnarelli or spaghetti 200 g

    high heat

  4. Meanwhile, toast most of the pepper in a dry 26 cm frying pan over medium-low heat for , shaking the pan, until it smells fragrant. Add a ladle of the pasta water (it will sizzle) and take the pan off the heat.

    Add in this stepWhole black peppercorns 1¼ tsp

    medium-low heat

  5. Make the cheese cream: scoop out a mug of pasta water and let it cool for a minute. Add 3 tbsp of this warm (not boiling) water to the bowl with most of the pecorino and stir hard with a fork into a thick, smooth paste, like soft ricotta. Boiling water would make the cheese seize into rubbery clumps.

    Add in this stepPecorino Romano, very finely grated 72 g

  6. Lift the pasta with tongs straight into the pepper pan, bringing some water with it. Set it over medium heat and toss for , adding a splash of pasta water if it looks dry, until the pasta is just al dente and coated in a cloudy, starchy liquid.

    medium heat

  7. Take the pan off the heat and wait about 30 seconds so it is no longer sizzling. Add the cheese cream and toss quickly with tongs, adding pasta water a spoonful at a time, until the sauce is creamy and glossy and clings to the pasta. Plate at once and finish with the remaining pecorino and pepper.

    Add in this stepPecorino Romano, very finely grated 13 gWhole black peppercorns ¼ tsp

Cook's tip

If the cheese goes stringy or lumpy, the pan was too hot: add 2 tablespoons of lukewarm pasta water off the heat and toss hard; it often comes back together. Use real Pecorino Romano from a block, not pre-grated cheese, which contains anti-caking agents that stop it melting. Serve on warm plates and eat straight away; the sauce thickens as it cools.

Cooking it at camp

Perfect for a single burner: cook the pasta in a smaller pot with just enough water (the starchier the better), pour most of the water into a mug, toast the pepper in the empty pot and finish everything in it off the heat. Grate the cheese at home and keep it in the cooler.