Enoteca Sociale’s Cacio e Pepe

Ingredients

2 portions spaghetti (240g for two)
3/4 cup pecorino romano, finely grated
1/3 cup pecorino romano, finely grated
1 tsp black pepper

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and season well with salt.
2. In a mixing bowl add in the 3/4 cup of pecorino romano and black pepper.
3. Once the water is boiling, add in the spaghetti and give it a good mix with tongs to open up the bundles of spaghetti.
4. To the pecorino bowl add in 1/3 cup of hot water from the pasta pot and mix together with a fork. You want this mixture to be the consistency of paper mache glue. It should be wet, but not too thick. A little thicker than a pancake batter. If too thin, add in a little more pecorino, if too thick add in more water 1 Tbs at a time.
5. Cook the spaghetti two minutes less than the package instructions. Taste the noodles as they cook, to get the al dente cook you like.
6. Take the pasta straight from the water and into your mixing bowl with pecorino.
7.  Once all the pasta is out give it a good stir to get all the spaghetti covered in the pecorino sauce.
8. Serve immediately and garnish with the remaining pecorino romano.

“If I’m in Rome for only 48 hours, I would consider it a sin against God to not eat cacio e pepe, the most Roman of pastas.” – Anthony Bourdain