Best Cacio E Pepe Recipes

CACIO E PEPE

Steps:

• Put a pot of salted water on to boil. In a large bowl, combine the cheeses and black pepper; mash with just enough cold water to make a thick paste. Spread the paste evenly in the bowl.
• Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. The second before it is perfectly cooked (taste it frequently once it begins to soften), use tongs to quickly transfer it to the bowl, reserving a cup or so of the cooking water. Stir vigorously to coat the pasta, adding a teaspoon or two of olive oil and a bit of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce if necessary. The sauce should cling to the pasta and be creamy but not watery.
• Plate and dust each dish with additional pecorino and pepper. Serve immediately.

TONNARELLI A CACIO E PEPE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, filling pot slightly less than normal. (This increases the amount of starch leached from the pasta as it boils.)
• Add pasta and cook, stirring frequently, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta, transferring 6 cups pasta cooking liquid to a medium saucepan; keep warm. Wipe out pasta pot.
• Cook oil, pepper, and butter in pasta pot over high heat, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 3-4 minutes. Add pasta and 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid and cook over high heat, stirring vigorously to help draw starch from pasta, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat and add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Add 3 cups Pecorino Romano in large handfuls, stirring and tossing vigorously with tongs, until very creamy. Stir in Grana Padano, adding more pasta cooking liquid if pasta is dry. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately with more Pecorino Romano on the side.