Cacio e Pepe – The Most Well Known Pasta of Rome

I love watching shows where the host tours different countries and regions and not only talks about the history and culture, but the culinary experiences too. During the four days of frozen lock up, I rewatched Stanly Tucci’s, Searching for Italy – again. While he was in Rome he shared the “four pastas of Rome”.

An idea struck!!

I’m going to make these and share them with you!! Cacio e Pepe is the foundation of the four.

What are the Four Pastas of Rome?

The four pastas of Rome are cacio e pepe, gricia, carbonara and amatriciana. They are all made using the same technique of vigorous mixing to form a sauce with the cheese and pasta water. It take practice.

My first try the cheese all clumped up and didn’t melt into the sauce. I thought perhaps I had the pasta and water too hot – and the cheese not grated down enough. So I tried again, letting everything cool a little and grinding the cheeses up in the food processor. The finely ground cheese just melted into the pasta and came out amazing!

Cacio e Pepe –

The foundation of the four is cacio e pepe – literally means cheese and pepper. The ancient shepherds carried with them cacio cheese, dried spaghetti  and pepper. With these megar ingredients, they could whip up a delicious, satisfying meal in the fields.

Typically made with spaghetti or bucatini, the pasta is tossed, vigorously, with pecorino romano and parmesan reggiano cheeses, some fresh ground black pepper and a little pasta water. Sound easy? Well – success is in the technique.

Pasta alla Gricia –

The next pasta on the list – pasta alla gricia. This one is almost exactly like cacio e pepe, with the addition of guanciale. A cured pork jowl (or cheek), similar to bacon but saltier. It’s origins go back to ancient Roman times.

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This pork is diced, then cooked until the fat is rendered.

I couldn’t find any information on the traditional type of pasta. It looks like it all depends on what you have on hand!  Click here for the recipe.

Pasta Carbonara –

Pasta Carbonara, probably the most well known of the four. The sauce on this one is sort of a combination of the cacio e pepe and the gricia with some egg added to the mix. It’s usually on spaghetti, but I’ve seen it on penne and rigatoni too. I used pappardelle.

It’s origins aren’t as easy to follow as the ancient two. There is speculation that it was inspired by a pasta from Naples – cacio e uova, meaning cheese and eggs. Click here for more information and the recipe.

Pasta alla Amatriciana –

And the last of the four, Pasta alla Amatriciana. Just a few ingredients – pecorino romano cheese, tomatoes, guanciale, and some red chili flakes. This pasta is typically on rigatoni and has a rich, creamy, tomatoey sauce.

This peasant sauce is said to have been passed down generations from father to son. Since we know tomato sauce came around in the late 1600s, we know it was soon after that.

All of these pastas are really about the sauce. You can serve them using any pasta you have on hand or the pasta you like the best (I love orecchiette). Once you get the hang of the stirring up the sauce, you’ll make all of these again and again.

The Saucing Technique (Practice makes perfect)

This is the most important part of the pasta. If it isn’t done right, you’ll have clumps of melted cheese instead of a creamy sauce. Not quite as bad as clumps is tiny grated chunks that don’t melt. The goal is a cream sauce.

Cook the pasta in a large, tall pot. When it is slightly al dente (just slightly done), drain it, but be sure to save one cup of the pasta water. There is flavor and starch in it that will really help to create a creamy sauce.

Put the pasta back in the pot and let it cool slightly. Add 1/2 cup of the hot pasta water and stir briskly.

Add just a splash of cold water to finely grated romano and parmesan cheese with fresh cracked pepper.

Stir it with a fork to make a paste.

Drop the paste on top of the pasta,

then stir fast and hard for about 3 to 4 minutes. The harder and faster the better – almost like whisking with a spoon. Add a more pasta water, a little at a time, if the sauce is too thick.

When everything is well blended into a creamy sauce, serve it immediately!

Making the Cacio e Pepe

Make this dish exactly as told above in technique. There are no other ingredients to add, except topping it off with some fresh grate parmesan. The absolute easiest of the four!

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

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Cacio e Pepe

A simple pasta with just four ingredients. The success is in the technique!

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, main dish, Snack

Cuisine: Italian, Roman

Keyword: black pepper, fresh ground pepper, parmesan, romano

Servings: 4 servings

Author: HelenFern

Ingredients

• 8 oz. dry pasta
• 3/4 cup finely grated pecorino romano
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan reggiano
• fresh cracked black pepper
• more parmesan to grate over the top at serving

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta in a large, tall pot. When it is slightly al dente (just slightly done), drain it, but be sure to save one cup of the pasta water. There is flavor and starch in it that will really help to create a creamy sauce.

2. Put the pasta back in the pot and let it cool slightly. Add 1/2 cup of the hot pasta water and stir briskly.

3. Add just a splash of cold water to finely grated romano and parmesan cheese with fresh cracked pepper. Stir it with a fork to make a paste. 

4. Drop the paste on top of the pasta, then stir fast and hard for about 3 to 4 minutes. The harder and faster the better - almost like whisking with a spoon. If the sauce is too thick, add more pasta water, a little at a time.

5. When everything is well blended into a creamy sauce, serve it immediately!

Recipe Notes

 

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

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