Cacio e Pepe
Cacio e Pepe has always been a little bit of a bucket list item for me. I always wanted to try it since I have heard about its deliciousness over and over again but never order it when I see it on the menu (nor is it often that I do see it on a menu.) Literally translated as “cheese and pepper,” this dish isn’t complicated in terms of ingredients, but does require some understanding on emulsifying the cheese into a creamy sauce. Unlike what I thought, it doesn’t use a white sauce base and instead relies on the pasta water to provide thickness to the sauce.
The spicy kick of the black pepper really ties the dish together. Splurge on a high end Pecorino Romano and good peppercorns—you won’t regret that. You can grate the cheese, but it makes it so much easier if you just grind it in the food processor a few times.
I wish I could give you the exact measurements for the pasta water, but it honestly is just keep adding until you have enough to coat your spaghetti in the creamy sauce. Too little and the sauce will tighten up really quickly when it starts to cool, too much and emulsification will be problematic.
Ingredients
- Spaghetti
- Salt
- Enough water to cover the spaghetti
- 1/2 teaspoon Peppercorns for every half pound of pasta
- Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated (about one cup for every 1.5 cups of pasta water in the pot. e.g. If you have one cup of grated cheese, add enough of the reserved pasta water to the cheese so it becomes a thick paste, and add to 1.5 cups of water in the pasta for the sauce)
- Salt the pasta water liberally, until the water is salty enough to taste.
- Boil the pasta until just before al dente. Remove enough pasta water until it just covers the spaghetti. Reserve the pasta water on the side. Lower heat to low.
- Toast the peppercorns and ground directly into the pasta water.
- Mix as much of the pasta water into the grated cheese until it is a thick paste.
- Pour cheese paste into the pasta and stir vigorously until the cheese has emulsified into a creamy sauce. Cook until pasta is al dente.
- Remove from heat, plate, and garnish with more cheese and pepper.
