Cacio e Pepe Sauce - Recipe by Mama Isa

Cacio e Pepe Sauce - Recipe by Mama Isa

This is the simplest and one of the tastiest pasta dishes in the Roman repertoire, served at home. “Cacio e Pepe” means “with cheese and pepper.” 

INGREDIENTS (to serve 6 people)
salt (about 20 g)
400 g fresh pasta tonnarelli or maccheroni alla chitarra (just if you don't have fresh pasta, you can use dried Spaghetti)
about 2 and 1/2 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 heaping tablespoons freshly ground black pepper per person

DIRECTIONS
The trick to making this recipe work is to  a technique called "mantecare", meaning to mix and meld.
Bring at least 4 liters of water to a boil in a large pot and add salt. 
Drop in the pasta, stir. When the water returns to a boil, cook, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente. 
Reserve about ½ cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.
Return the still-dripping pasta to the pot in which it was boiled. 
Away from any direct source of heat, stir in the reserved pasta water (this water is a very important step in order to get a creamy sauce) and toss vigorously while sprinkling the cheese (about 1 and 1/2 cups) and the pepper: but please if the sauce becomes too watery, add Pecorino Romano cheese; if it becomes too dry, add water.

Serve immediately in pasta bowls with the remaining 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese on the sid!  Season with lots of freshly ground black pepper.




Buon Appetito!

TIPS: 
1- Usually keep in mind that for 100 g of pasta, you should use 10 grs of salt and 1 liter of water, but Pecorino Romano cheese is very salt, therefore Mama Isa's tip is to add half of the amount of salt for boiling pasta....... just 20 g)
2- Please gradually add Pecorino Romano cheese and water tossing vigorously until you get a creamy consistency.

The art of fresh pasta making at Mama Isa Cooking School in Italy - Tonnarelli

Cacio e Pepe Sauce at Mama Isa Cooking School

• Recipe by Mama Isa
• © Photos by Mama Isa's Cooking Classes near Venice in Padua Italy