Recipe Vicki Ravlich-Horan, Images Brydie Thompson
Cacio e Pepe or ‘cheese and pepper’ is a classic Roman pasta dish that dates back centuries. The key to this dish is its simplicity – three ingredients transform into a moreishly addictive pasta. The delicious cheese and pepper combo is one you can enjoy with gnocchi, in a quiche or with scrambled eggs or, as I prove below, on pizza, in gorgeous puffs and sausage rolls.
Classic Cacio e Pepe
The key to this classic dish is how the pasta water emulsifies with the cheese to create a creamy sauce. Add to this the pop of pepper, you will be hard pressed to throw together a more impressive dish so quicky and with so few ingredients.
Serves 2
200g spaghetti
salt
2–3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp pepper, freshly ground
20g butter
chopped parsley
1 cup Parmesan or pecorino cheese, finely grated
Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a pan along with the pepper. Cook for 1–2 minutes or until the pepper begins to pop. Add the butter.
When the spaghetti is cooked, drain, reserving ¼ cup of the cooking water and add this and the spaghetti to the pepper pan.
Stir in the cheese and serve immediately.
