Cacio e Pepe
Cacio e Pepe, or: Comfort food, Roman style. The traditional pasta dish is known and loved by every Roman, so easy to make, and a proven champion in on-site arbitrattoria times! When I spent an academic year in Rome, Cacio e Pepe quickly became my favorite. And when I found out that it translates to ‘Cheese and Pepper’, which are the only ingredients besides the pasta, it also became my signature dish to cook for every occasion. It is an excellent choice both for a quick lunch at home and just as good to serve for a large group of friends. It goes perfect with wine and beer. Within minutes, it brings some of Rome’s warmth and joy to cold and dark Sundays in Berlin’s winters. And with Cacio e Pepe on your plate, you feel like sitting in a cozy trattoria in Monti or Trastevere. Want to try?
4
servings5
minutes15
minutes20
minutesIngredients
400 g 400 spaghetti
200 g 200 Pecorino Romano
3–5 tsp black pepper
Directions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil and add the spaghetti (or your favorite kind of pasta). Stir occasionally during cooking.
- Important: to ensure that the cheese will stick to the pasta at a later stage, do not add any oil to the water.
- While the pasta is cooking, grate the Pecorino Romano cheese. To prepare the sauce, add about three quarters of the cheese and most of the pepper to a large bowl. And here comes the trick: gradually, add about one cup of the pasta water to the cheese and pepper bowl and mix until you find a creamy consistency.
- When cooked al dente, drain the pasta, immediately add it to the bowl with the sauce, and toss well until the pasta is covered by cheese. If needed, add some more pasta water.
- To finish off, divide the pasta on plates, sprinkle over the remaining cheese and pepper to taste, and garnish with fresh parsley.
- Buon appetito!
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large bowl
- Grater
- Colander
Notes
- Do not add any oil to the pasta water, or the cheese will not stick to the pasta.
- It goes perfectly with wine and beer.