Today we are going to pay tribute to the rich Italian cuisine by showing you how to make Cacio e pepe.
Eataly is the gourmet and the gourmand’s paradise with dishes known worldwide as the famous “cacio e pepe” of Rome.
Few can top Italy when it comes to delicious authentic and fresh food. If you ask anyone to list their favorite foods, you can be pretty much sure that it is probably pizza, pasta or some soft, thick and creamy gelato.
Rome, the capital of Italy, with its simple and genuine cuisine is known worldwide. Among the dishes of Roman cuisine, the most appreciated are the first such as gricia, carbonara, amatriciana and cacio e pepe.
Today we will focus on the cacio e pepe and its preparation, to bring to the table the dish according to the original Roman tradition.
What is cacio e pepe?
“Cheese and pepper“ is the literal translation for Cacio e pepe, the original mac and cheese. It consists of 3 main ingredients: pasta, pepper and cheese, a lot of it.
How to make cacio e pepe? Ingredients and preparation
- 1 medium sized deep bowl
- Fork
- Spatula
- Mixing bowl
- Large pot for boiling pasta
- Medium size fry pan
INGREDIENTS
- 300gr spaghetti
- 200g grated Pecorino Romano. Its fine grate allows the cheese to melt homogeneously into the dish.
- Fresh pepper
- Salt
- 3L water (12.8cups)
Since everything is ready, let's start !
PREPARATION
- To start, bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stove.
- When the water comes to boil, add the salt and allow it to dissolve.
- Cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes less than the desired cooking time, while keeping an eye on the time.
- Here's how to take your cacio e pepe pasta recipe from good to Excellent! Place the cooking pan on the stove over medium heat and generously sprinkle the \freshly cracked pepper in it.
- Remove the pepper from the pan and grate at least 300g of pecorino cheese into a bowl, you can always add more.Add cheese with your heart.
- After the pepper has toasted for a few minutes, scoop out some pasta water with a ladle and pour it into the pan, where it should bubble up!
- Now, add half a ladle of water to your bowl and mix it together using a fork or a spatula to create a thick paste. If you add too much, it will become runny (If this happens, add more grated pecorino cheese to thicken it again).
- When the pasta has about 3 minutes left to cook, remove it with long tongs and add it to your fry pan. Mix everything together thoroughly, then add a cup of pasta water.
- If the water runs out, add more along with more pepper and continue to mix.
- After 2 minutes of mixing, turn off the heat and add the cheesy paste to the pan.
- It is now critical to assist the cheese in melting and dissolving into the water. There should be no stringy or thick pieces of cheese in your cacio e pepe for the perfect dish.
- Assemble everything for at least another minute, or until all of your cheese is dissolved, and then gently toss your pan up, even if it's hard, to prevent the cheese from overcooking and to lather all of the strands of pasta even more.
- And finally it’s ready to serve !
How to serve the cacio e pepe?
We find that cacio e pepe is better served immediately, the tastiest bites are always the first bites straight out of the pan or eaten on your way to the table.but you can always put some in your dish, add a final sprinkle of pepper and of course some pecorino cheese. Enjoy !
