Freedom Travel Guide · Rome
Roman Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper Pasta)
One of Rome's most famous pastas: three ingredients, no cream, pure technique.
Serves: Serves 4 Time: About 15 minutes once the water is boiling
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Ingredients
- · 12 oz spaghetti or tonnarelli
- · 2 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano
- · 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
Method
- 1 Boil the pasta in salted water and save 2 cups of the starchy cooking water.
- 2 Toast the peppercorns in a dry pan, then crack them coarsely.
- 3 Mix the Pecorino with a few spoonfuls of warm (not boiling) pasta water into a thick paste.
- 4 Toss the drained pasta in the pan with the pepper, splashing in more pasta water a little at a time.
- 5 Pull the pan off the heat, stir in the cheese paste, and toss until every strand is coated and creamy.
The sauce is built entirely from starchy pasta water and cheese. No butter, no cream, no olive oil. Take the pan off the heat before you add the cheese or it will clump.
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