Cacio e Pepe

The Roman three-ingredient pasta — spaghetti coated in a glossy sauce of pecorino, black pepper and starchy pasta water.

Photo: Andy Li · CC0

Ingredients

• 200 g spaghetti
• 80 g pecorino, very finely grated
• 2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 15 g butter
• Salt, for the pasta water

How to make Cacio e Pepe

1. Cook the spaghetti in lightly salted boiling water until just al dente. Use less water than usual so it stays starchy.
2. Meanwhile, toast the black pepper in a wide dry frying pan for a minute, then add the butter and a ladle of pasta water.
3. Mix the pecorino with a few spoonfuls of warm (not boiling) pasta water to make a loose paste.
4. Lift the spaghetti into the pan and toss well, then take the pan off the heat.
5. Add the cheese paste and toss quickly, adding splashes of pasta water until the sauce is smooth and glossy. Serve at once.