Lunch
Cacio e Pepe
Cacio e pepe is Roman cooking at its most stripped back. Just pasta, cheese, and black pepper. No cream, no shortcuts, no fuss. What makes it special is the technique: getting that starchy pasta water and aged cheese to emulsify into a silky, coating sauce is genuinely satisfying to pull off. Three ingredients, infinite bragging rights.
CACIO E PEPE
Ingredients
-
1 cup Pecorino Romano
-
1 tbsp Black Pepper
-
A bunch Pasta
Method
-
1
Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, salt it generously. It should taste like the sea. Add your pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.
-
2
While the pasta cooks, finely grate your cheese and set aside. Toast the black pepper in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, then crush it and mix it into the cheese.
-
3
About 3–4 minutes before the pasta is done, ladle some pasta water into your cheese and pepper mixture and whisk thoroughly until it forms a paste. It's okay if it clumps a little that's normal.
-
4
Once the pasta is done, transfer it straight into the bowl with the cheese and pepper paste and toss vigorously for 2–3 minutes. The heat from the pasta and the starchy water will bring it all together into a silky sauce. Serve immediately.
More Lunch Recipes
