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Cacio e pepe

Silky, cheesy, savoury, spicy, peppery... Pasta & cheese!
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Fresh Egg Tagliatelle

  • 250 g plain flour
  • 3 large eggs
  • 6 large egg yolks

Cheese & Black Pepper Sauce

  • 1900 ml water
  • 9 g or 1.5 teaspoons salt
  • 115 g Pecorino Romano cheese finely grated
  • 55 g Pecorino Romano cheese roughly grated
  • 30 g or 2 tablespoons double cream
  • 10 g or 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Pasta

  • Mix the flour, eggs, and egg yolks on low speed in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until the dough comes together. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and knead on medium speed until it forms a ball, about 5 minutes.
  • Either knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 20 to 25 minutes, or continue to knead with your machine if you trust it not to burn out! When ready, the ball should feel elastic and the surface smooth and silky.
  • Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes (up to overnight) before shaping.

Sauce

  • After shaping the pasta, use about 450g (for 4 people) and reserve the rest for another meal.
  • Bring the water to a boil in a large pan. Add the salt and pasta and cook until al dente - timing will depend on your pasta, but homemade pasta will cook in a matter of seconds. Drain the pasta, reserving 350ml of the cooking water.
  • Slowly whisk 230ml of the reserved pasta water into the finely grated Pecorino until smooth. Whisk in the cream, oil, and black pepper.
  • Pour the sauce over the pasta, tossing carefully to coat. Let the pasta rest for a couple of minutes, tossing frequently - this will allow the sauce to thicken and coat the pasta better. If the sauce appears a little too thick, adjust with some of the remaining pasta water.
  • Sprinkle with the roughly grated Pecorino and another few turns of black pepper.

Notes

The pasta recipe above makes quite a bit more than you will need for this recipe, but I have included instructions on how to preserve the rest for another day in the body of the post.
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated