Ingredients
Directions 9 steps | 20 Minutes
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente.
In a large pan over medium heat, melt one tablespoon of butter.
Add a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper and toast for about 1 minute.
Make the pecorino cream. In a metal or glass bowl, whisk the grated Pecorino Romano cheese with a tablespoon of cold water. Place the bowl over the pot of boiling water and continuously whisk while adding more water if needed until a smooth and dense cream sauce forms. If the cheese sauce becomes stringy, whisk in the heavy cream. (See notes.)
Reserve ⅔ cup of pasta water and drain the pasta
In the large pan with the butter and pepper, add the pasta and the reserved pasta water. Cook over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer, about 2-3 minutes.
When the pasta starts to spread out the starch and becomes creamy, turn off the heat. Add the reserved pecorino cream and the remaining tablespoon of butter.
Continue to mix all the ingredients until you reach the desired creaminess. If the pasta looks too dry add more water. If the pasta looks too watery add more Pecorino Romano cheese.
Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes:
- A key factor in creating a creamy cacio e pepe is to procure a well-aged original Pecorino Romano cheese.
- Instead of melting, your cheese will become stringy if you don't use authentic Pecorino Romano. If your cheese sauce becomes stringy, whisk in the heavy cream.
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