← back · cookbook / food / pasta
Cacio e Pepe
Three ingredients, one transcendent emulsion. Pecorino, pepper, pasta water.
№ 001 · ⏱ 15 min · serves 2 · ★★★★ · filed apr 25
servings
2
units
// INGREDIENTS (3)
3 items
// METHOD · 3 steps
1
Toast the pepper
⏱ 2m
Crack peppercorns coarsely. Toast in a dry pan over medium heat 30 sec — until fragrant.
2
Cook the pasta
⏱ 8m
Boil pasta in less water than usual (more starch). Pull 2 min before package time. Reserve a full mug of pasta water.
3
Make the cream
⏱ 3m
In a wide pan off heat, whisk pecorino with a splash of cool pasta water + the pepper into a thick paste. Add hot pasta and a ladle of starchy water. Toss vigorously off heat — the sauce should glaze, not curdle.
// PROVENANCE
Drafted by claude-opus-4-7 on apr 25.
untested
// ADAPTED FROM
- › Serious Eats — Daniel Gritzer ↗ — Cool-water cheese paste technique.
- › Stanley Tucci — Searching for Italy — Confirmed proportions; less water for starchier pasta.
// RELATED · you might also cook