Italian
Cacio e Pepe
The Roman classic of pasta, Pecorino Romano and black pepper, with a foolproof method for a creamy, clump-free sauce. No butter, no cream.
ItalianCacio e Pepe
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Serves
- 4
- Effort
- Medium
Cacio e pepe means "cheese and pepper", and that's all there is: Pecorino Romano, black pepper and pasta. Shepherds in the Roman countryside carried these three ingredients because they kept for weeks.
It's famously easy to get wrong — the cheese clumps into rubbery lumps if it gets too hot. The trick is to make a smooth pecorino "cream" with slightly cooled, starchy pasta water first, and toss it with the pasta off the heat.
Method
Toast the pepper
Cook the pasta
Make the pecorino cream
Toss and serve
Tips that make the difference
- Heat is the enemy: never add the cheese to a pan on the flame.
- Grate the Pecorino as finely as you can — fine cheese melts, coarse cheese clumps.
- If the sauce goes stringy, add a splash of warm (not boiling) pasta water and keep tossing.
- Pecorino Romano is made with animal rennet. For strictly vegetarian diners, use a vegetarian hard cheese.