Ingredients
Pasta
- 400 gtonnarelli or spaghetti
- salt, for the water
Sauce
- 200 gPecorino Romano, very finely grated
- 2 tbspblack peppercorns, coarsely cracked
Directions
- Grate the pecorino as finely as you possibly can, on a Microplane if you have one. Coarsely grated cheese will not dissolve and clumps into strings instead of becoming a sauce.
- Crack the peppercorns coarsely in a mortar and toast them in a dry wide pan for about a minute, until they smell sharp and floral. Pre-ground pepper contributes almost nothing here.
- Boil the pasta in less water than usual and salt it only lightly. Less water means starchier water, and that starch is the only emulsifier this sauce has: there is no cream, no butter and no oil in it.
- Ladle a little of the pasta water into the pepper pan and let it bubble down to a thin syrup.
- In a separate bowl, off the heat, work the grated pecorino with a few tablespoons of pasta water into a thick, smooth paste, like a loose icing.
- Drain the pasta two minutes short of al dente, keeping plenty of the water, and finish it in the pepper pan with a splash more.
- Now take the pan completely off the heat and wait for it to stop sizzling before the cheese goes anywhere near it.
- This is the single point at which the dish is lost. Pecorino added to a hot pan seizes into rubbery strands within seconds and there is no bringing it back.
- Add the cheese paste and toss hard, adding splashes of pasta water until the sauce turns glossy and clings to every strand.
- Serve at once in warmed bowls, with more cracked pepper over the top.
Technique
- Off the heat, finely grated, starchy water. Three rules, and the first is the one everyone breaks.
- It was Roman shepherds’ food, because pecorino and peppercorns both kept well on transhumance and needed nothing else.
- Warm the bowls. A cold bowl thickens the sauce and breaks it on the way to the table.
Substitutions
- Half pecorino and half parmesan, which is gentler and considerably more forgiving, though a Roman would not call it cacio e pepe.
- Bucatini or rigatoni, both of which hold the sauce well.
Variations
- Gricia, which is this plus guanciale.
- Carbonara, which is gricia plus egg yolk.
- With a spoonful of the cheese paste chilled first, which makes the emulsion more stable for a nervous cook.
History
Roman shepherds’ food, since pecorino and pepper kept well on transhumance; the sauce is emulsified with starchy pasta water alone.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cacio e pepe?
Cacio e pepe is a main from Italy: pecorino and black pepper pasta, Roman trattoria staple. Roman shepherds’ food, since pecorino and pepper kept well on transhumance; the sauce is emulsified with starchy pasta water alone.
How long does Cacio e pepe take to make?
Cacio e pepe takes 10 min of preparation and 12 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Cacio e pepe?
Yes, within limits. Half pecorino and half parmesan, which is gentler and considerably more forgiving, though a Roman would not call it cacio e pepe. Bucatini or rigatoni, both of which hold the sauce well.
What is the most important thing to get right in Cacio e pepe?
Grate the pecorino as finely as you possibly can, on a Microplane if you have one. Coarsely grated cheese will not dissolve and clumps into strings instead of becoming a sauce.
