Cacio e pepe

Cacio e pepe translates to ‘cheese and pepper’ in Italian. It is one of the 3 traditional Roman sauces. With minimal ingredients, the beauty of this dish lies in its simplicity.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  2

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

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Ingredients

• 200 g spaghetti
• 40 g butter, cubed, divided
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• ¾ cup finely grated Grana Padano cheese
• ⅓ cup finely grated Pecorino cheese
• sea salt, to taste 

For the salad 

• 1 bulb fennel, thinly shaved
• 1 bunch Frisée lettuce, leaves torn
• ¼ bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
• ½ cup dill sprigs, roughly chopped
• ½ lemon, juiced
• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil over high heat. Cook the pasta according to package instructions, stirring occasionally. 2 minutes before the stated end cook time on the package, scoop out ¾ cup pasta water, then drain the pasta with a colander.
   
2. While the pasta is cooking, make the salad by combining the ingredients in a large serving bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss gently to dress.
   
3. Melt half the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the pepper and cook, swirling to toast, for 1 minute. In a small jug, combine ½ cup reserved pasta water with half the Grana Padano cheese and whisk to emulsify, then add to the pan with the pasta and remaining butter. Reduce the heat to low, then add the remaining Grana Padano cheese to the pan, continually stirring and tossing until the cheese melts. Remove the cacio e pepe from the heat and add the Pecorino cheese, stirring and tossing with tongs until the cheese sauce coats the pasta. Add an extra splash of pasta water if needed.
   
4. Divide the cacio e pepe between warmed bowls and serve with the fennel salad.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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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.

Stream free On Demand

Deliciously Cheesy

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G