Cacio e Pepe
Photo by Pixzolo Photography on Unsplash
Three ingredients. One technique. A lifetime of getting it wrong before you get it right. The emulsion is everything — too hot and it breaks, too cold and it seizes. There is a window, and you learn to find it.
Prep: 5 min · Cook: 25 min · Serves: 2 · Skill: High
Ingredients
- 200g tonnarelli or thick spaghetti
- 200g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
- 50g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
- 2 tsp whole black peppercorns
- Salt for pasta water
Method
- Toast and grind the pepper. Toast the peppercorns in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant — about 90 seconds. Crack them coarsely in a mortar. You want texture, not powder. Some fine, some chunky. Set aside.
- Make the cheese paste. Combine the two cheeses in a bowl. Add 3–4 tablespoons of cold water and work it with a spatula until you have a thick, smooth paste — the consistency of thick hummus. This step is done cold, on purpose. The paste is your insurance against clumping.
- Cook the pasta. Boil the pasta in well-salted water but use less water than usual — you want very starchy cooking water. Cook until 2 minutes shy of al dente. Reserve at least 300ml of pasta water before draining.
- Build the sauce. Toast the cracked pepper in a wide pan, add a ladleful of pasta water and let it reduce by half. Add the pasta directly to the pan and toss. Take the pan completely off the heat. Add the cheese paste and a splash of pasta water, then toss continuously — the residual heat and the starchy water create the emulsion. Add water little by little until glossy and coating.
- Serve immediately. Plate straight away. Add more cracked pepper and a little extra Pecorino. Do not add oil. Do not add butter. Do not add cream. Serve to someone who deserves it.
Why it breaks: Heat is the enemy of the emulsion. If the pan is too hot when you add the cheese, the proteins seize and you get clumps. Off the heat, patience, and starchy water are the fix. If it breaks anyway, add cold water and keep tossing.