Do you have these 3 ingredients - cheese, pepper and pasta. Then you can have an envious pasta dinner with a silky, smooth sauce on the table in 15 minutes. A dish considered to be the most important pasta dish in Italy. But each ingredient must be the best to make cacio e pepe like the Italians do. Cacio e pepe originated in Rome, and though simple in its making, relies heavily on the quality of ingredients. The cheese, Pecorino Romano (also known as cacio in Roman dialect,) is a salty, tangy sheep’s milk cheese that melts very quickly, which is what makes this recipe so easy to make and so good.
Bring a large pot of slightly salted water to a rapid boil, and add 14 ounces of a toothsome spaghetti. After 5 minutes of cooking, pour 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water into a large, heat-proof bowl and allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Let the pasta continue cooking according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, slowly whisk in 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese combined with a few gratings of freshly ground black pepper into the cooled pasta water, whisking continuously, to create a thick, creamy sauce. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the bowl with the cheese. Stir thoroughly to coat adding more freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Click on this link for a slightly different version and ordering of ingredients from Alex, a French guy
making this Italian icon. Enjoy!