Recipe: CACIO E PEPE

The Most Roman of Roman Dishes

I don’t actually remember where I was when I first tasted cacio e pepe, but it is the GOAT, and I am prepared to fight anybody who says otherwise. The late great Anthony Bourdain, god of my idolatry, after enjoying a dish of cacio e pepe at Roman restaurant Roma Sparita, once listed the things he would give up (a Jefferson Airplane concert, specific acid trips) to eat the dish again. So, yes, it’s that good.

You pronounce it thusly, kah-choh-eh-pay-pay, and its origins really do date back to bloody gladiatorial combat in the Colosseum. What makes it so unforgettable? The quality of the ingredients, for starters. The best Italian cooking lets the ingredients breathe. If you use prepackaged pecorino—indeed, any cheese out of a bag—or ground pepper instead of peppercorns, I will hunt you down like a dog.

Every time you use prepacked pecorino, Jesus sets fire to a school bus. Remember that.

Here’s what you will need:

SPAGHETTI (0.7 lb or 320 grams). Don’t get the cheap stuff. Get the good stuff.

PECORINO-ROMANO CHEESE (7 ounces or 200 grams). Don’t cut corners here. Trust me on this. You go to the deli section of your supermarket or a specialty store, and you get the imported pecorino-romano. Sorry to be such a zealot (Italy is probably rubbing off on me; they take this stuff really seriously), but there’s no point in making this dish if you use anything except the best. Obey, and you will be rewarded!

BLACK PEPPERCORNS (2 tsps). Yes, you can use a pepper grinder. No, you may not use ground pepper.

MINERAL WATER (at least half a bottle).

SALT to taste. Just a little to flavor the water.

STEPS:

1. Boil water for the pasta. Use mineral water, not tap water. Use about half of what you do normally—the success of the dish depends on using really starchy pasta water, so DON’T THROW IT OUT. It’s like another ingredient. When the water boils, toss in a little salt to taste, and then add the spaghetti. We Americans woefully overcook our pasta. Don’t do this. Cook it al dente, per package directions. Again, save all your water.

2. Finely grate the pecorino.

3. Put your peppercorns on a chopping block/cutting board and grind them to powder with pestle or grinder. Have I put them inside a plastic bag and assaulted it with a hammer? Yes. Did it work? Yes. Just be careful you don’t bust the bag, or you’ll be sneezing for a week. Using the freshest pepper is an essential part of cacio e pepe, so don’t skip this step.

4. Pour half the crushed pepper into a biggish non-stick pan to toast it, keeping the flame low, and using a wooden spoon. Never use metal on your non-stick cookware. After a minute or so, add maybe half a cup of your hot, starchy pasta water. When the spaghetti is finished cooking, pour it into the pan with the pepper, letting it season. Using a pair of tongs, lift and “rearrange” the pasta to let some air in. Add more pasta water as needed. Don’t let the pan go completely dry.

5. Pour half the grated pecorino into a bowl, adding a ladleful of pasta water. Stir with a whisk, adding more water as needed and making sure you eliminate any lumps. Add the rest of the cheese, keeping just a little bit aside as a garnish, and more pasta water. Stir, stir, stir. The final result needs to be creamy and smooth with no lumps.

6. Bring the pecorino cream to the same temperature as your pasta by holding the bowl over your hot pasta/pepper pan and whisking the ingredients for a minute. Turn the heat off under the pan and add the pecorino cream, lifting and “breathing” the spaghetti at the same time as you’re combining it with the sauce.

7. Season with the remaining pepper, sprinkle just a bit of the remaining pecorino as a garnish, and serve immediately.