Medium
4 per.
15 min
- Pasta cacio e pepe is a traditional dish of Lazio cuisine, certainly one of the most famous and loved together with carbonara and amatriciana. But what is the authentic cacio e pepe recipe? Which pasta to use, spaghetti, bucatini or tagliolini? How to make cacio e pepe according to tradition? In this article we will answer these and all the other questions, revealing the best creamy cacio e pepe recipe and all the tricks to make it best.
- From the Roman trattorias with the classic red and white checked tablecloths come the cacio e pepe pastas, generally tonnarelli or spaghetti, steaming and creamy, truly irresistible. This recipe stands out for its simplicity, in fact you only need three ingredients. For the cacio e pepe sauce, choose quality ingredients, for a truly unique taste and a creamy and irresistible consistency.
Pasta with cheese and pepper recipe
- Spaghetti cacio e pepe, the typical recipe of Rome.
- Anyone who has been to the Italian capital at least once cannot fail to have tasted this delicious typical dish of local cuisine. The original cacio e pepe recipe requires only three ingredients, but over time many variations have emerged and now everyone can choose their own favourite, like these cacio e pepe tonnarelli with Grana Padano, broad beans and courgette flowers.
- In this article we will discover the original Roman cacio e pepe recipe, its variations and everything you need to know!
Ingredients of cheese and pepper: what do you need?
- Pasta, cheese and pepper ingredients, here’s what you need. There are only three ingredients: pasta (generally long, like spaghetti or tonnarelli), cheese, pepper. Here’s how to make cacio e pepe, simple and delicious!
- As far as pasta is concerned, everyone can follow their own preferences. The original pasta for cacio e pepe is generally tonnarelli, spaghetti or bucatini, but nothing stops you from cooking a delicious dish of tagliolini cacio e pepe or linguine cacio e pepe.
- And what about cheese? The secret to a perfectly creamy cacio e pepe is to use Pecorino Romano DOP, whose proteins have the property of dissolving in water creating the typical cream of this dish. To give even more flavour, you can experiment with the countless variations and add an equal quantity of Grana Padano DOP to the pecorino, which with its unmistakable taste perfectly completes the Roman cacio e pepe.
Spaghetti cacio e pepe recipe: here are the ingredients for 4 people
- 320 g of long pasta (tonnarelli or spaghetti)
- 200 g Pecorino Romano DOP
- 200 g Grana Padano DOP
- Pepper to taste
Cheese and pepper preparation step by step.
How is cacio e pepe pasta made? If you are looking for an easy but delicious spaghetti cacio e pepe recipe, this is the one for you. Let’s start by putting a pan with plenty of water on the heat to cook the pasta. In the meantime, grate the Pecorino Romano into a bowl and add the Grana Padano, keeping some aside for plating.
When the water has come to the boil, add salt and throw in the pasta. Once the pasta is ready, drain and set aside a few tablespoons of the cooking water, which we gradually add to the bowl with the grated cheeses. Mix vigorously with a whisk until creamy, then transfer the pasta to the bowl and mix well.
We plate and finish the dish with plenty of freshly ground black pepper, in order to have a more intense aroma. Enjoy your meal!
Curiosities and suggestions
If you are wondering how to prepare cacio e pepe and want some advice for a perfectly creamy sauce, continue reading this article. The famous pasta cacio e pepe recipe is simple to make and requires few ingredients that you easily have at home, but you need to pay attention to a few small precautions to have a result truly worthy of the Lazio tradition.
What cheese to use for cacio e pepe?
What cheese for cacio e pepe? The original cacio e pepe recipe involves the use of Pecorino Romano DOP, both for the local origin of this cheese and for the peculiarity of melting in water, creating, together with the cooking water, a truly irresistible creamy sauce.
Departing from the original recipe, other cheeses can be added to cacio pepe pasta, to play with different flavor notes and create a unique recipe. Grana Padano DOP lends itself particularly well thanks to its particular flavor, which goes perfectly with Pecorino Romano and gives an unmistakable aroma and taste.
What wine goes well with cacio e pepe?
If you are wondering what wine to pair with pasta with cheese and pepper, you will find the answer here. Both white and red wines go well with this recipe, the important thing is to choose them with medium body and good softness, with tannins that are not too accentuated, to support the flavor of the dish without amplifying it.
Accompany your spaghetti cacio pepe with a nice Vermentino, Ribolla Gialla or Falanghina, while for the reds you can choose a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Pinot Noir or Barbera, always taking care to choose young and fragrant wines.
Variants
Tonnarelli are a type of egg pasta typical of Central Italian cuisine and very popular especially in Lazio as they are perfect for various typical recipes such as pasta with cheese and pepper.
The cacio pepe recipe often involves the use of tonnarelli, a type of long pasta with a square section and a fair thickness, very porous to absorb the sauce as much as possible.
What type of pasta is needed for cacio e pepe?
Cacio e pepe pasta, which one to use? The recipe for cacio e pepe generally includes tonnarelli or spaghetti, the most suitable formats to best absorb the sauce. But everyone can experiment in the kitchen according to their preferences and choose other formats such as macaroni, bucatini or fettuccine with cheese and pepper, or even try more original recipes such as these agnolotti with cheese and pepper.
How do you keep the cacio e pepe from thickening?
How to make cheese and pepper? The recipe itself is simple, but when preparing cacio e pepe you need to be quick and pay attention to the times so as not to thicken the sauce too much. The Roman cacio e pepe recipe includes a delicious cheese-based sauce melted with a little cooking water. The trick is to add the water to the cheese little by little, stirring constantly.
What to eat after cacio e pepe?
There are many cacio e pepe recipes, but what should you pair them with? Now you know how to cook cacio e pepe, but how to complete the meal after this first course?
The original recipe spaghetti cacio e pepe is certainly not a light dish, both for the egg pasta and the cheese-based sauce. After a nice plate of spaghetti with cheese and pepper, the ideal is a salad or a light side dish of vegetables so as not to weigh you down and get the right amount of fibre. This way you get a complete, and above all delicious, meal!
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