18 Dec Pici cacio e pepe – Tim Siadatan, Trullo
SERVES
4
TAKES
20 minutes
(with ready-made pasta)
Cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) is a classic dish from Rome and is one of their most popular dishes when it goes on the menu.
Romans use pecorino but they prefer high-quality, aged parmesan because it gives the dish more depth of flavour. But if you want to keep it traditional, swap the cheese in the ingredients list below.
1 batch of pici pasta, fresh (or pici pasta dough*, see recipe below)
160 g unsalted butter
100 g parmesan, finely grated
4 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
RECIPE
1
In a large saucepan, bring water up to the boil and season with salt. Drop the pici in water and cook for 5–6 min.
2
Meanwhile, add the butter, black pepper and a splash of water to a saucepan on a medium heat and then turn down to a low heat until they emulsify (melt into each other).
3
When the pici is cooked, remove it from the water and add to the saucepan with the butter and pepper. Keep the pasta water.
Add the parmesan – but do not stir. Leave the parmesan to sit and melt from the residual heat of the pan – this prevents it from becoming chewy little cheesy balls.
4
Once the parmesan has melted, stir the pici and sauce together to incorporate. Season with salt and serve immediately.
375 g white bread flour
180 ml water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch fine sea salt
*PICI PASTA DOUGH
1
Add the flour to a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Mix together the water, olive oil and salt and pour into the well. Start incorporating the flour into the water/olive oil/salt mixture until a dough starts to form.
2
Once it forms, take the dough out, transfer to a clean table and start kneading it, until it becomes smooth.
With a rolling pin, shape it into a rectangle about 2 cm thick, wrap in cling film and leave to rest for at least 30 min somewhere cool.
3
To make the pici, cut the dough into 15 g strips (weigh one to check and use as a guide), and keep covered with a damp tea towel.
On a dry, clean work surface – stainless steel or wood, you don’t want something too smooth as a little bit of friction helps – start rolling the strip outwards with both palms of your hands, applying pressure evenly and pushing out, until you have a noodle the same thickness as a biro. Basically, you’re making wriggly worms. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
4
Cook straight away, or if making in advance, store lengthways on a heavily floured tray (they stick together) covered with cling film and refrigerate for no more than 24h.