A ROMAN LADY’S CACIO E PEPE RECIPE

I have a number of friends who swear they make the best Cacio e Pepe.

It’s never really about the recipe, which we all know very well and is, in the end, quite simple. It’s about the ingredients and the technique.

CACIO E PEPE AND STAPLE INGREDIENTS

Cacio e Pepe is one of our traditional Roman pastas, probably the easiest one, as it needs only three ingredients: spaghetti, Pecorino Romano cheese, and freshly ground black pepper — staples in any central Italian kitchen.

It is the dish we’ve made all those times we had forgotten to do the spesa, grocery shopping. Or when we were back home from a night out with little (or bad) food — or too much booze.

It’s the pasta we’ve made on our first vacations, with cheap wine, little money, and friends who could barely cook.

It’s the comfort food after a disastrous date.

cacio e pepe in the cooking pan
a fork with cacio e pepe pasta

THE HISTORY OF CACIO E PEPE

Cacio e Pepe must have been equally comforting for the shepherds of Agro Romano, the countryside surrounding Rome.

During transhumance, among the few ingredients they carried in their tascapane (what a wonderful name for a shoulder bag: bread pocket!) you would easily find dried spaghetti (for energy), Pecorino Romano (for protein and flavor), and black pepper (for warmth and spice).

Somehow, someone, by ingenuity, chance, or mistake, put them together into this delight.

HOW ROMANS MAKE CACIO E PEPE

The secret to perfect Cacio e Pepe lies in repetition upon repetition.

Believe me, the more tries, the better the result — with obvious episodic kitchen disasters, of course — but, I mean, melted cheese will always be an enjoyable mistake!

Anyway, if you want a truly honest Roman piece of advice: starchy pasta water is your first ally.

Excess heat is your enemy (read: clumps).

And your taste is the final judge — especially when it comes to black pepper quantities.

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AUTHENTIC CACIO E PEPE RECIPE

A creamy cheese sauce with a lots of black pepper.

Course main
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 2 people
Calories 472 kcal
Author Claudia Rinaldi

Ingredients

  • 7 oz spaghetti 200 gr
  • 1.7 oz Pecorino Romano cheese 50 gr - 1/2 cup
  • 1.5 teaspoons black peppercorns 5 gr
  • salt

Instructions

  1. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil - about two liters (half a gallon) and one tablespoon of salt.

  2. Prep the ingredients – Grate the Pecorino Romano and grind the black pepper.

  3. Toast the pepper – Heat the black pepper in a large pan for 1-2 minutes, then turn off the heat.

  4. Add the cheese – Place grated Pecorino in the pan with the pepper.

  5. Cook the pasta – Boil spaghetti for 1-2 minutes less than “al dente.”

  6. Create the sauce – Just before draining the pasta, reserve a scoop of hot starchy water and mix it into the cheese and pepper with a wooden spoon.

  7. Combine everything – Quickly transfer the pasta to the pan, using tongs or a big fork, turn the heat to high, and toss vigorously until a creamy sauce forms and you see the first bubbles form.

  8. Serve immediately – Top with extra Pecorino and black pepper to taste.

The pictures and recipe come from the Red & Orange Simposio cookbook. But there are two more Simposio books about Rome: Rome and Papal Rome. Little by little, I’m covering every (interesting) fact about Rome’s cuisine, mythology, history, and traditions!

Buon appetito!

Claudia