Cacio Pepe is a Roman pasta dish that literally means cheese and pepper and consists of 3 simple ingredients: Pasta, Pecorino cheese and black pepper. The secret of an authentic Cacio e Pepe is the creamy sauce that comes from combining the best quality Pecorino Romano cheese with a few spoonfuls of the water used to cook the spaghetti. The cheese and the starch in the cooking water are the only ingredients for the original cacio e pepe sauce: Forget about butter, olive oil or heavy cream!
This recipe requires quality ingredients and a few tips to create a silky sauce that perfectly coats the pasta.
THE ORIGINS OF CACIO E PEPE RECIPE
Cacio e Pepe is an ancestral Italian recipe and according to legend, the origin of this simple but delicious Italian spaghetti with cheese dates back to the Roman Empire. For centuries, cacio e pepe was the perfect meal for Roman shepherds.
Dried pasta, aged pecorino and black peppers are easy to transport and spoil with difficulty. Contrary to what many people think, the recipe for Cacio e Pepe does not need oil, cream or butter. The starch in the spaghetti and the grated pecorino are enough to prepare the cacio e pepe sauce. As in many Roman recipes, the pepper must be very abundant!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
– It is a simple Roman dish along with along with Amatriciana, Carbonara and Gricia.
– This recipe takes less than 20 minutes to prepare, including the time it takes to cook the pasta and it is the ultimate comfort food.
– It is a simple recipe that will save your dinner when you have guests, when you need something quick or when your fridge is almost empty!
CACIO E PEPE INGREDIENTS
Pecorino: It is very important to use a good quality pecorino. I recommend Pecorino Romano, an aged cheese variety. It is important to finely grate it with a Microplane so it does not clump.
These are the signs that identify Pecorino Romano and distinguish it from the so-called Romano:
– It usually has a black rind on the outside.
– On the packaging there is the seal “DOP”.
– It is made from sheep’s milk, NOT cow’s milk.
While I love Parmesan Cheese, I have to stress the fact that the only authentic cacio e pepe is made with Pecorino cheese only.
Pepper: I use fresh cracked black pepper, that I usually grind in a mortar. This is the best way to taste the pepper flavor in your sauce. If you do not have a mortar, you can also place the peppercorn between 2 parchement paper sheets and grind them with a meat mallet.
Pasta: Choose a good quality pasta. Extruded bronze, Gragnano pasta is generally the best because it gives off more starch than regular industrial pasta. The classic shape is bucatini pasta a long thick spaghetti pasta with the smallest holes in the middle. You can substitute them for spaghetti. Also popular in Rome are rigatoni, short pasta tubes with a fluted surface that are pointed at the ends. A classic alternative for fresh pasta is tonnarelli, a fresh homemade pasta which is shaped as long spaghetti. Tonnarelli are thicker and squared.
WHAT YOU DON’T NEED TO USE: cream, butter or oil AT ALL!
HOW TO MAKE CACIO E PEPE
STEP 1: PREPARE YOUR INGREDIENTS:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Make sure the water does not fill the pot – it should be shallow (i.e., much less than the normal amount of water you would use to cook pasta). Lightly salt the water as it comes to a boil.
2. finely grate the pecorno. The finer the cheese is grated, the better the cream will form and the less it will clump.
3. Crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle to a fine consistency. Set aside 4 teaspoons of the pepper – this is the pepper you will use.
STEP: COOK THE PASTA
Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook for half the time indicated on the package. Finish cooking them in the pan.
As soon as you throw the pasta into the boiling water, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 4 teaspoons of pepper and toast, for no more than a minute. You should smell the aroma of the black pepper, but do not burn it. Once the pepper is toasted, add a laddle of pasta water to the pan.
Once the pasta is al dente, add the pasta to the pan and remove a cup of pasta water.
Let the pasta finish cooking in the pan over low heat. Toss and add the reserved pasta water as needed. The goal is to release the starch into the pan. You want a little starchy liquid to remain in the pan. This will help the cream form.
STEP 3: MAKE THE SAUCE
While the pasta is cooking in the pan, add a small amount of the starchy water from the pasta to the grated pecorino and mix it until forms a paste. Set aside.
When the pasta is al dente, remove it from the heat. Add the pecorino mixture and stir quickly until the cheese melts and a nice creamy sauce is forming between the pecorino and the starchy liquid in the pan.
Transfer the pasta to the plates and spoon that creamy sauce on the top. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of grated pepper and enjoy your Cacio e Pepe!
WHY MY SAUCE IS CLUMPING?
To avoid any clumps in the pasta there are 3 secrets:
– First of all use pecorino romano and not any other cheese.
– Second, make sure that you will use aged pecorino, not fresh one.
– Third, make sure you will grate it finely, this way will melt easier when you will add the starchy pasta water.
CAN I MAKE CACIO E PEPE AHEAD OF TIME?
As much as I would like to say yes, it is definitely better to not make it ahead. When the pasta sits, it will become dry and if you reheat it will not be the same thing. It takes 20 minutes to make this pasta, so it is better to enjoy it on the spot!
MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES FOR YOU
AUTHENTIC ITALIAN AMATRICIANA SAUCE
PENNE ALL’ ARRABBIATA (PASTA WITH SPICY TOMATO SAUCE)
SPAGHETTI AGLIO OLIO E PEPERONCINO
WHICH WINE TO PAIR WITH CACIO E PEPE RECIPE
The best wine to pair with Cacio Pepe is one with a peppery note. A Frascati from Sicily or a Frappato from Lazio are perfect for this recipe.
If you prefer a white wine, I recommend a Vermentino instead, as its acidity contrasts with the fattiness of the pecorino and prepares the palate for the next bite.
Ingredients
- 2/3 lbs pasta rigatoni
- 2 cups pecorino romano grated
- 6 tsp black pepper crushed
Instructions
PREPARE THE INGREDIENTS
- Bring water to a boil in a pot. Finely grate the pecorino. Crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle to a fine consistency.
COOK THE PASTA
- Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook for half the time indicated on the package. You will finish cooking them in the pan.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 4 teaspoons of pepper and toast, for no more than a minute. Once the pepper is toasted, add a a scant ladle of pasta water to the pan.
- Add the pasta to the pan and let the pasta finish cooking in the pan over medium heat. Toss the pasta and add its cooking water as needed.
MAKE THE SAUCE
- While the pasta is cooking in the pan, add a small amount of pasta water to the grated pecorino. Stir in the pasta water and continue mixing until the mixture forms a paste.
- When the pasta is al dente, remove it from the heat. Wait few seconds and then add the pecorino mixture to the pan and stir quickly.
- A nice creamy sauce should form between the pecorino and the starchy liquid. Transfer the pasta to individual plates and spoon the sauce on top. Add the remaining 2 tsp of black pepper and dig in!
Notes
- Make sure the water does not fill the pot . When the pasta cook will release its starch and given the less amount of water, the starch will be more concentrated. Remember that is the starch the main contributor to the creamy sauce.
- Salt the water less than you would normally do, the pecorino is already very salty!
- The finer the cheese is grated, the better the cream will form and the less it will clump.
- Make sure to not toast the pepper for more than a minute. It is ready when you feel the pepper aroma!
- The goal is to release the starch into the pan. You want a little starchy liquid to remain in the pan. This will help the cream forming.
Nutrition
Piatto storico della cucina italiana.
Raffinato e delizioso.