Carbonara, Amatriciana and Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe have now become dishes that symbolize the Italian spirit of good food, linked to the traditions and territories from which they come. An excellence that went from the “checkered tablecloths” to the kitchens of the great chefs. We would also like to pay tribute to one of the landmarks of good and genuine food and show you how you can prepare a perfect cacio e pepe recipe!
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Portioning: 4 people
Ingredients:
- (320 g) Spaghetti
- Black pepper to taste – grains
- (200 g) Pecorino Romano cheese – medium seasoned, for grating
- Fine salt to taste
The secret lies not only in the chemical combination of water and pecorino proteins to obtain a lump-free cream, but also in the taste: whole peppercorns crushed and thrown into the pan on the same day to release all their pungent aroma. The pasta whisked slowly and in a controlled manner to absorb all the flavor of the Pecorino Romano when you add the cream.
How to prepare spaghetti cacio e pepe
To prepare Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe recipe, first grate the Pecorino cheese. Bring some water to a boil in a pot (use about half the amount you normally use to cook pasta so that the pasta contains more starch) and when the water boils, you can add salt to taste. Once the water is salted, you can cook the spaghetti. Meanwhile, pour the whole peppercorns onto a cutting board and then crush them with a meat pestle or grinder. This releases more of the pepper's pungent scent.
Place half of the crushed pepper in a large non-stick pan, fry over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, then add a few ladles of cooking water. The bubbles you see rising are from the starch in the water. Drain the spaghetti. When they are al dente (save the cooking water to use later), add the pasta directly to the pan with the roasted pepper and continue cooking with the spices.
Stir the pasta constantly with tongs to allow it to “breathe” and add a ladleful or two of water if necessary to continue cooking. Add a ladleful of water only if necessary (when you see that the pan is almost completely dry) and stir with tongs. In the meantime, when the pasta is ready, prepare the pecorino cream (do not start this process beforehand or the cream will be too thick).
Spaghettata di Mezzanotte – the quick, classic recipecan be found here!
Last step to complete the recipe – prepare pecorino cream
Place about half of the grated Pecorino cheese in a bowl. Add a ladle of cooking water to the grated sheep's cheese. Stir vigorously with a whisk, adding more water if necessary. Then add the remaining half of the Pecorino cheese, reserving a small portion for garnish. Add a little more water if necessary: at this stage you must carefully adjust the amount of pecorino cheese to the water to obtain a cream with the right consistency and without lumps.
Finish cooking your pasta and add a little more hot water if necessary. Before adding the pecorino cream, give the cream a quick stir by holding the bowl over the steam from the pan of hot water, always stirring with the whisk to bring the cream back to a similar temperature to your pasta if necessary bring to. Turn off the heat under the pan with the spaghetti and pour in the pecorino cream.
As you pour the pecorino cream onto your spaghetti, stir it constantly with the kitchen tongs, pour in the pecorino that you have set aside as well, stir and fry the pasta again, then add your spaghetti Transfer the Cacio e Pepe to a plate and season with the remaining pepper, enjoy immediately in all its creaminess!
storage: We recommend consuming Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe immediately. No form of storage is recommended.
Original recipe for Spaghetti Aglio e Oliocan be found here!
