Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper Pasta)

If you’re a fan of mac and cheese then this truly Italian classic, Cacio e Pepe, is where you’ll want your taste buds to be.

I fell for this simple dish in on my recent holiday and I did not how just how simple it was, though the real technique, as with most dishes, is patience and getting that sauce just right. Just the though of the luscious sauce as it clings onto the twirl of the pasta is making my mouth water.

To be truly authentic you really want to stock up on Pecorino Romano and add some of that to your dish. In the meantime I’ve taken what I had in the cupboard and the results were scrumptious.

Ingredients

• 250G Fresh Tagliatelle Pasta
• 150G Parmesan or Grana Padano Cheese
• Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 35G Red Gloucester

Method

1, Place the pasta in a large pan, cover with water and leave to boil over a medium heat until with a sprinkle of salt.

2,  Whilst the pasta boils grate all the cheese into a bowl. When the pasta is soft, this should only take a couple of minutes with fresh pasta, drain the water, saving a little of it in a jug.

3, Now mix all the cheese and pasta together in the same pan, adding a tablespoon of the pasta water as you you stir all the ingredients together and the cheese melts. You should start to see the sauce thicken but remain creamy. So resist adding too much water at first

4,  Crush plenty of black pepper and stir together. Serve on a dish with a sprinkle of black pepper on top and there you have it. Enjoy.

Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper Pasta)

5 from 2 votes

If you’re a fan of mac and cheese then this truly Italian classic, Cacio e Pepe, is where you’ll want your taste buds to be.

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Gibraltar, Italian, Mediterranean

Servings: 2

Author: Mama Lotties

Ingredients

• 250 G Fresh Tagliatelle Pasta
• 150 G Parmesan or Grana Padano Cheese
• Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 35 G Red Gloucester

Instructions

• Place the pasta in a large pan, cover with water and leave to boil over a medium heat until with a sprinkle of salt.
• Whilst the pasta boils grate all the cheese into a bowl. When the pasta is soft, this should only take a couple of minutes with fresh pasta, drain the water, saving a little of it in a jug.
• Now mix all the cheese and pasta together in the same pan, adding a tablespoon of the pasta water as you you stir all the ingredients together and the cheese melts. You should start to see the sauce thicken but remain creamy. So resist adding too much water at first
• Crush plenty of black pepper and stir together. Serve on a dish with a sprinkle of black pepper on top and there you have it. Enjoy.