Spaghetti with pecorino romano and black pepper sauce (spaghetti cacio e pepe)

I’ve always wanted to write this classic Roman recipe, but I was worried that it was far too simple. One evening I cooked it for myself and my son Luciano, and he made me promise that I would share it. Simplicity at its best.

Credit: Haarala Hamilton / Bloomsbury

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Please buy bronze die pasta, as it will make lots of difference to the end result; you need the roughness of the bronze die to get the sauce to stick to the pasta.

Ingredients

• 40 black peppercorns, plus freshly coarse-ground black pepper, to serve

• 225 g dried spaghetti, bronze die quality
• 100 g pecorino, finely grated
• salt

Instructions

1. Fill a large saucepan with 3 litres of water, add 1 tbsp salt and place over a high heat. Bring to the boil.
2. Place the peppercorns on a board and crush with a cooking hammer (or use a mortar and pestle or the end of a rolling pin and a plastic bag).
3. Cook the spaghetti in the salted boiling water for 3 minutes less than instructed on the packet, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, place a large frying pan or a wok over a high heat and add the crushed peppercorns. Toast for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Pour in 1 full ladle of the pasta cooking water. It will immediately start to bubble; keep it bubbling for 30 seconds. Set aside.
5. Place the cheese in a bowl. Pour in half a ladle of the cooking water and mix/fold with a spatula for 1 minute to create a very thick creamy sauce.
6. Using large tongs, lift the spaghetti from its saucepan, tip into the pan with the pepper, then place over a high heat. Do not discard the pasta cooking water. Pour 2 ladles of the cooking water over the pasta and continue to mix with a wooden spoon, or toss, for 2 minutes. The more you toss/mix the pasta, the creamier the sauce will become. Switch off the heat and immediately pour the thick cheese mixture over the pasta.
7. Quickly start to mix all together for 30 seconds, making sure each strand of pasta is coated with the cheese. Pour half a ladle more cooking water over the pasta and stir for a further minute, creating a beautiful creamy texture. Keep tossing the pasta until you have a creamy cheese sauce. If needed, add a little more cooking water, to make it even creamier.
8. Serve immediately, pouring over any remaining cheese sauce from the pan, and sprinkling a little more freshly coarse-ground pepper on top.

Recipe and image from Gino's Italy: Like Mamma Used To Make by Gino D'Acampo (Bloomsbury, HB $44.99)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Please buy bronze die pasta, as it will make lots of difference to the end result; you need the roughness of the bronze die to get the sauce to stick to the pasta.