Cacio e pepe recipe
It doesn’t get much simpler than cacio e pepe. The dish relies on the starchy pasta cooking water, which combines with Parmesan cheese and pepper to form a silky, luxurious taste-bomb of a sauce that clings to the pasta.
If you cook your pasta in a smaller saucepan with less water, the starches in the cooking water become more concentrated, making a beautiful sauce. You can use whatever saucepan you have available to cook your pasta – even a small saucepan will do the trick, although you might have to snap your spaghetti in half so it fits. As always, it’s your kitchen… nobody is checking up on you, so do what you like!
It's best to prepare everything ahead so you can really get your cooking flow on. From there, it will only take about 10 minutes to have dinner on the table.
Ingredients
- 200 g spaghetti or linguine
- 1 pinch sea salt, for the cooking water
- 1 large knob of butter
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus extra to serve
- 60 g Parmesan or pecorino or a mixture (or a vegetarian alternative), finely grated, plus extra to serve
Details
- Cuisine: Italian
- Recipe Type: Pasta
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 5 mins
- Cooking Time: 10 mins
- Serves: 2
Step-by-step
- Cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling, salted water for 6–8 minutes, or until it is not quite tender and still has some bite remaining. Drain and reserve the pasta water.
- Quickly return the pan to a medium-high heat. Add the butter and, when melted, add the pepper and heat for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add a ladleful of pasta cooking water (about 100 ml/3.5 fl oz/scant 0.5 cup) to the pan and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat, return the pasta to the pan with three-quarters of the cheese, then stir and shake the pan to melt the cheese and create a sauce that clings to the pasta.
- Add the remaining cheese and toss the pasta until it melts and you have a silky smooth sauce, adding a splash more of the cooking water if the sauce seems dry.
- Divide between warmed dishes and serve immediately with extra cheese and pepper.
This recipe is from The Shortcut Cook by Rosie Reynolds (Hardie Grant, £15). Photography by Louise Hagger.
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