Cacio e Pepe

Name: Cacio e Pepe
Total time: 1800 s
Yield: Serves 4 servings
Ingredients: 1.1 lbs fresh strozzapreti pasta (500 g); 14 oz Pecorino Romano cheese (400 g); Plenty of black pepper; Salt, to taste

Martano's kitchen @martanoskitchen

Roma

Strozzapreti Cacio e Pepe in a Pecorino Romano Crisp.

The history of Rome is built on pecorino, not Romulus and Remus. In the old, traditional, heartfelt dishes, you'll find pecorino—from tripe, pajata, carbonara, all the way to pasta alla zozzona! But cacio e pepe is the exception; it stands out and rises above because here, it's for serious folks. Just two ingredients, no frills, just like us Romans—if you have something to say, say it straight.
With a Roman dish, it should hit you right in the gut!

Strozzapreti Cacio e Pepe in a Pecorino Romano Crisp.

Martano's kitchen @martanoskitchen

Roma

Strozzapreti Cacio e Pepe in a Pecorino Romano Crisp.

Saved

Ingredients

30 minutes

Serves 4 servings

1.1 lbsfresh strozzapreti pasta (500 g)
14 ozPecorino Romano cheese (400 g)
Plenty of black pepper
Salt, to taste

Saved

Steps

30 minutes

1

Some dishes need no introduction and no special tricks—just lots of passion.
2

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, make the pecorino crisps: place a small saucepan over heat and grate some pecorino into it. As soon as it melts and starts to set, use a spatula to lift the crisp and, while still hot, flip it over a small bowl (be careful not to burn yourself). It will harden quickly.
3

Now, make the cacio e pepe cream: grate the remaining pecorino into a bowl and add a small ladle of pasta cooking water (just a little) to create a creamy sauce. Set aside.
4

Salt the boiling water and add the pasta (the strozzapreti I used cooks in 6 minutes). In a large skillet, grate in plenty of black pepper and heat over very low heat. When you start to smell the aroma of the pepper, after a few seconds, add a generous ladle of pasta water and slightly increase the heat.
5

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it directly into the skillet and toss it with the pepper to infuse the flavor. Turn off the heat and add the pecorino cream, tossing everything together. Add more pasta water as needed to keep it creamy, but always do this with the heat off. When it tastes perfect, it's ready!