Watch the video: Cacio e pepe – you only need four ingredients for this ingenious pasta.
To anticipate one thing: Cacio e pepe may be simple to prepare, but that is precisely why you should pay attention to the quality of the products. Cacio e pepe means nothing more than cheese and pepper. Because nothing else goes into it than pecorino and black pepper. It’s poor man’s food, simple but very tasty.
First grate the pecorino finely. You can buy it fresh, medium or matured. Mature cheese tastes best, giving the pasta its aromatic note. Now salt the water. Quiet generously, but don’t add any oil to the water, otherwise the sauce won’t stick to the pasta later. Stirring with a fork is enough to keep the pasta from sticking together. To make the pasta really slimy, I now add a ladleful of pasta water to the Pecorino and dissolve it a bit in it. Now add the finished pasta directly to the Pecorino mass. Stir and season generously with black pepper. Season with a dash of olive oil and salt. And that’s how quickly the simplest pasta dish in Italy goes.
Recipe for cacio e pepe:
Ingredients for two people:
- 250 g bavette (or another type of pasta)
- 100 g medium-ripe pecorino, grated
- black pepper
- Salt
Preparation:
Grate pecorino. Cook the pasta in salted water al dente. Scoop off some of the pasta water and pour it over the pecorino. Add noodles and mix. Put lots of pepper on top. If you like, season with salt and olive oil.