All you need is spaghetti, pecorino romano and black pepper. This cheese is called pecorino because it is made with pecorino milk, which in Italian means sheep. There are several types of pecorino, but only 5 of them have a designation of origin: Sicilian, Tuscan, Sardinian, Sardinian flower and Roman, which is the one used, as I said, to make this dish. The Pecorino Romano is the saltiest of all and has a little spice of its own, which makes it unique. I say of its own, because some types of pecorino are spicy, because they have pepper or cucumber added. So, if you don’t have pecorino at hand, replace it with some very cured sheep’s cheese, with a little spice.
The card
Pasta cacio e pepe (cheese and black pepper) a la romana
Ingredients
- 200 g Spaghetti
- 100 g Cured Pecorino Romano or other cured sheep's cheese salted
- Black pepper is better if you can grind it on the spot
- Salt
Instructions
- Grate the cheese in a large glass bowl or aluminum container.
- Grind the black pepper over the cheese and mix well.
- Cook the spaghetti al dente.
- Do not drain the spaghetti with a strainer. Take them directly from the pot with a large fork or similar utensil, so that they are not too dry, and put them in the bowl with the cheese and pepper.
- Also add to the bowl a ladle of cooking water for the spaghetti.
- Mix well and quickly, so that they do not become lumpy and the spaghetti are well covered with the cream formed by the cheese, pepper and pecorino.
- Serve hot.
- Note: The real spaghetti cacio e pepe have a considerable amount of pepper. You should be able to taste it. Obviously, as everything is going to taste, put the quantity you like.