Weeknight
Cacio e pepe — the mother of all pasta
Three ingredients, one Roman miracle. Pecorino, black pepper, pasta water — emulsified into the silkiest sauce you'll ever make.
Rome in a bowl. I went, I ate, I fell in love — and I've been chasing that plate ever since.
Method
- 01
Bring a wide, shallow pan of water to the boil. Salt it lightly — the pecorino brings serious salt later. Drop in the pasta and cook until just shy of al dente.
- 02
While the pasta cooks, toast the cracked pepper in a dry, wide pan over medium heat for about 30 seconds until it smells fragrant. Take it off the heat.
- 03
Ladle a generous mug of starchy pasta water into a small bowl and let it cool for a minute — it must not be boiling when it meets the cheese, or the pecorino will seize and turn grainy.
- 04
Tip the finely grated pecorino into a separate bowl. Add a few tablespoons of the cooled pasta water and whisk vigorously into a thick, smooth paste. Add a touch more water until it's the consistency of yoghurt.
- 05
Drain the pasta (keep more starchy water aside) and add it straight to the pepper pan over the lowest possible heat. Toss for 10 seconds with a splash of pasta water.
- 06
Off the heat, pour the pecorino cream over the pasta and toss-toss-toss, adding more pasta water a splash at a time, until every strand is glossed in a silky, clinging sauce. Plate immediately. More cracked pepper on top.
Keep cooking
