In case you didn’t know what is cacio e pepe, it’s a pasta with cheese and black pepper. It may sound a bit too simple to be tasty, but don’t let the simplicity fool you. This meal has a very complex taste which you’ll fall in love with right away.
With this simple recipe, you can enjoy cacio e pepe whenever you want this classic Roman pasta dish.
First, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and add 6 ounces of pasta. When the pasta is a few minutes from al dente, place 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper in a dry skillet and gently toast over medium-low heat. Finally toast the pepper until it’s fragrant and warm.
Now comes the second phase. Add 2 tablespoons of cold cubed unsalted butter to the skillet and increase the heat to medium. Gently swirling the pan over the heat, cook until the butter is melted.
At this point, your pasta should most certainly be ready to drain, but before draining it, reserve ¾ cup of pasta cooking water. Now add ½ cup pasta cooking water to the butter mixture, along with your drained pasta and another tablespoon of cold cubed butter to the skillet. Remove the pan from the heat and 1/3 cup of cheese and that’s it!
