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Cacio e Pepe: Pasta with Pecorino and Black Pepper
This typical Roman first course is surprisingly simple, but its very simplicity requires great attention to detail and technique to render a superlative version. (Cacio is a term for cheese in southern Italy.)
Ingredients:
14 ounces (almost 1 pound) spaghetti or bucatini pasta1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup (packed) freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Bring 6 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil; add the spaghetti or bucatini. While they boil, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan, adding a generous dusting of black pepper. Grate the pecorino cheese into a bowl, then add a little hot water from the pasta pot and mix it with the cheese until it's creamy.
Drain the pasta and transfer it to the olive oil-coated sauté pan. Quickly mix the pasta in the olive oil, then add in the creamy cheese from the bowl. Mix the sauce well into the pasta until the pasta's starch binds with the other ingredients. Serve very hot, adding more cheese and pepper to taste.
Servings: Serves four.
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