Toscanini recipe: Spaghetti cacio e pepe

From orecchiette alla pugliese, Puglia’s signature pasta with broccoli, garlic and anchovies, to pasta with a rich sauce made from braised oxtail; every city or region in Italy has its own pasta classics. In the pasta cookbook by restaurant Toscanini, the enormous variety of pasta dishes is put in the spotlight. The secret to this globally renowned spaghetti cacio e pepe lies in the pasta water and the quality of the only three ingredients.

This dish consists of just three ingredients, so they should be of the best quality you can find. The secret to this recipe is making a cream from the pecorino and some cooking water. It is also important to remove the pasta from the cooking water 2 minutes ‘too early’ and put it in the pan with the pepper, then keep adding a little cooking water while keeping the pasta moving. Only add the cheese when the pasta is perfectly al dente (taste it!) and the pan has been removed from the heat source. Too much heat can cause the cheese to split, and everything will stick to the bottom of the pan, which would be a shame. One more tip: make sure you have a small piece of bread to scrape your plate clean with. And the pan. Because you can bet it will be empty!

How to make Toscanini’s spaghetti cacio e pepe

• Put a pan containing 21/2 litres of water on the stove. This is less water than usual, because the more starch from the pasta there is in the water, the easier it will ultimately be to make a beautifully bound sauce. When the water boils, add half a tablespoon of salt (about 8 grams of salt). The pecorino that will be added later is salty too. Add the pasta to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon. Cook the pasta 2 minutes less than indicated on the package; it should be very al dente.
• Meanwhile, crush the peppercorns finely in a mortar. You can also grind the pepper on the coarsest setting of the pepper mill.
• Set some aside and toast the rest in a large frying pan or sauté pan until fragrant. Add 1⁄2 ladleful of the cooking water. Keep the pan warm over low heat so the pasta can be added later.
• Put half of the pecorino in a bowl and add some cooking water. Then stir in the remaining cheese. The end result should be a cream.
• Remove the pasta from the water with tongs. Add it to the pan with the pepper. Keep adding a little cooking water while keeping the pasta moving, for about 2 more minutes, until it is almost cooked to the desired doneness. Turn off the heat and add the pecorino cream. Stir until well combined and a creamy sauce has formed. This does not happen immediately, but don’t panic; give the cheese a chance to melt. Add a little more cooking water if the sauce is too thick. Finally, stir in the reserved pepper.

Title: Toscanini
Author: Maud Moody & Leonardo Pacenti
Price: €35
Publisher: Carrera Culinair

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