Details
Cacio e pepe
Italian20$There are countless divine Italian pasta recipes, but this one is genius in its simplicity. Translating as cheese and pepper, the dish, as its name suggests, uses a handful of basic ingredients: black pepper, cheese, pasta and butter. You'll find versions made with either spaghetti, linguine or pici, which is a short, thick worm-like pasta, and there's also debate about what cheese to use – it's usually either Parmesan or pecorino romano.
Details
Cuisine:
ItalianRecipe Type:
PastaDifficulty:
EasyPreparation Time:
5 minsCooking Time:
10 minsServes:
2
Ingredients
200 g spaghetti or linguine
1 pinch sea salt, for the cooking water
1 large knob of butter
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus extra to serve
60 g Parmesan or pecorino or a mixture (or a vegetarian alternative), finely grated, plus extra to serve
Recipe
Cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling, salted water for 6–8 minutes, or until it is not quite tender and still has some bite remaining. Drain and reserve the pasta water.
Quickly return the pan to a medium-high heat. Add the butter and, when melted, add the pepper and heat for about 1 minute until fragrant.
Add a ladleful of pasta cooking water (about 100 ml/3.5 fl oz/scant 0.5 cup) to the pan and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat, return the pasta to the pan with three-quarters of the cheese, then stir and shake the pan to melt the cheese and create a sauce that clings to the pasta.
Add the remaining cheese and toss the pasta until it melts and you have a silky smooth sauce, adding a splash more of the cooking water if the sauce seems dry.
Divide between warmed dishes and serve immediately with extra cheese and pepper.