This 4-ingredients pasta cacio e pepe recipe is a delicious creamy dish of pecorino Romano cheese and pepper with spaghetti.
Servings: 2
Prep Time: 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 5 minutesminutes
Ingredients
2tablespoonsof black peppercorns
1 ¼cupspecorino romano cheese
8ouncesof hot pasta water
8ouncesfresh spaghetti pasta
salt to taste
Instructions
Toast the peppercorns over low to medium heat in a medium size sauté pan for about 2 minutes or until it becomes very aromatic.
Set aside to cool slightly before grinding it down using a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle and the size of it varies from small grind to coarse grind. Set aside.
Divide the cheese into 3 piles. A large pile, a medium size pile, and a small size pile. The sizes of each do not need to be perfect.
Add the large pile of cheese to a medium frying pan along with a ¼ teaspoon of ground pepper, a ½ cup, or 4 ounces, of hot pasta water and mix using a rubber spatula or spoon until it is combined and emulsified. Set aside.
Boil the pasta according to its package and then add it in potions to the pan with the cheese sauce so to not overload it with too much pasta water.
Mix using the spatula until combined and then add the medium size pile of cheese along with ½ cup more, or 4 ounces, of pasta water, salt, and continue to mix until thick and creamy.
Add to a plate and serve by garnishing with the last small size pile of pecorino Romano cheese and additional ground pepper.
Notes
Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be served as soon as it is done cooking.How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This will not freeze well.How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of pasta to a medium-size pan over low heat along with ¼ cup of water and heat until creamy and hot.You should definitely use Fresh Pasta Dough Recipe, but if not, you can easily swap out for dried pasta.The main reason there are clumps of cheese in the pasta is that the pan gets too hot. Be sure to stir constantly and make sure to turn the heat off if the cheese begins to clump. You can remove the clumps by carefully bringing down the temperature.If pecorino Romano is not available, then substitute with Parmesan.The technique of stirring the pasta is very similar to stir-frying.You may need more pasta water so ensure it stays creamy and the pasta noodles don’t suck up too much of the sauce.No, you will not use all the peppercorns in this recipe, I just figured while making this why not make a little extra?