Cacio e Pepe

Name: Cacio e Pepe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Lazio
Ingredients: 2.65 lb spaghetti; 1.32 lb Pecorino Romano finely grated, at room temperature; 1 tbsp black peppercorns; Pecorino Romano and black pepper, to serve; salt, for the pasta water

Leo Hartmann Demo

Makes: 12 servings
Active: 15 min
Total: 20 min

PescatarianEgg FreeNut FreeHigh Protein 67% Weighed

You’ll Need large pot, large frying pan, mortar and pestle, fine grater, tongs

12 servings · 15 min active · 20 min total

PescatarianEgg FreeNut FreeHigh Protein 67% Weighed

You’ll Need large pot, large frying pan, mortar and pestle, fine grater, tongs

Save Add to List

Batch Size3× the Recipe, Larger

¼×½×1×2×4×8×

½×1×2×3×

Details

Ingredients

0 of 4 Ready

Grams Metric As Written US

Cacio e Pepe

For Cooking

Contains: gluten, wheat, milk. Based on ingredients. Does not account for cross contact.

Nutrition 566 kcal per serving

Nutrient	Per Serving	Per 100 g
Energy	566 kcal	376 kcal
Fat	15 g	10 g
of Which Saturated	8.8 g	5.9 g
Carbohydrate	77 g	51 g
of Which Sugars	3 g	2 g
Fibre	3.4 g	2.2 g
Protein	29 g	19 g
Sodium	723 mg	479 mg

Computed from the ingredients. An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and season it well with . Add the and cook until al dente, usually or as the packet says.

tender with a slight bite at the centre

[object Object]
Meanwhile, toast the in a dry frying pan over high heat, shaking the pan, until fragrant. Tip them into a mortar and crush them coarsely.

a sharp, warm pepper smell rises from the panthe peppercorns crackle and darken very slightly

[object Object]
When the pasta is ready, scoop out a cupful of the starchy cooking water and set it aside. Drain the spaghetti and let it steam for .
Put the spaghetti in the frying pan over medium-low heat with a few spoonfuls of the pasta water and toss until every strand is coated.

[object Object]
Take the pan off the heat. Add the and the crushed pepper and stir and toss constantly, adding more hot pasta water a little at a time, until the cheese melts into a smooth sauce.

creamy and glossy with no clumps or stringsthe sauce clings to the pasta and pools slightly

[object Object]
Serve at once on warm plates, finished with a little extra .

From Leo Hartmann

There is nothing to hide behind here, so technique does all the work. Toasting and crushing whole peppercorns wakes up their aroma, and taking the pan off the heat before the cheese goes in lets the Pecorino melt into the starchy water as a smooth cream rather than seizing into clumps.

Notes

Grate it yourself. Use a block of real Pecorino Romano, grated as finely as possible and left to come to room temperature. Pre-grated cheese contains anti-caking agents that stop it melting smoothly.
Mind the heat. Too hot and the cheese turns stringy and clumps; too cool and it will not melt. If the sauce tightens, add a splash of hot pasta water and toss again.
Salt lightly. Pecorino Romano is very salty, so go easier than usual on the salt in the pasta water.
Work fast and serve on warm plates. The sauce sets as it cools.
Shape. Tonnarelli (square egg spaghetti) are the Roman favourite; spaghetti or bucatini are also traditional.

Storage

Best eaten immediately; the sauce does not survive reheating.

Make Ahead

Toast and crush the pepper and grate the cheese ahead of time; the rest takes minutes.