Description
Cacio e pepe delivers pure Roman pasta magic with just three ingredients. Pecorino romano cheese and black pepper create a silky sauce that clings perfectly to spaghetti, transporting you straight to an intimate trattoria in Italy.
Ingredients
Scale
Cheese and Dairy:
- 4 ounces (113 grams) Pecorino Romano cheese
Pasta:
- 1 pound (454 grams) dry spaghetti or bucatini
Seasonings:
- 1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 milliliters) whole black peppercorns
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat a spacious pot of water, seasoning with a pinch of kosher salt over robust temperature.
- Activate whole black peppercorns in a skillet, roasting until their aromatic essence emerges, approximately 3 minutes.
- Pulverize the toasted peppercorns using a mortar and pestle or a heavy culinary implement, creating a coarse grind.
- Submerge spaghetti or bucatini into the rolling water, allowing them to cook until achieving perfect al dente texture, roughly 8-10 minutes.
- Extract a half cup of starchy pasta liquid, transferring it into the skillet with crushed peppercorns, and encourage a gentle simmer.
- Leverage tongs to migrate pasta directly from boiling water into the skillet, ensuring thorough coating with the piquant liquid.
- In a separate vessel, progressively integrate hot pasta water into grated Pecorino Romano, whisking until a luxurious, smooth emulsion develops.
- Combine pasta with the silky cheese mixture inside the skillet, incorporating additional pasta water if necessary to achieve a creamy, glossy consistency.
- Present immediately, adjusting seasoning with extra kosher salt to elevate the flavor profile.
Notes
- Toasting whole peppercorns releases intense, nutty flavors that infuse the entire recipe with warmth and depth.
- Gradually mixing hot pasta water into cheese prevents clumping, creating a silky smooth sauce that clings perfectly to each strand of pasta.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 78 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg