Cacio e pepe is a classic Roman pasta dish. Creamy and spicy with cheese and black pepper. Italians make cacio e pepe exclusively with 100% Pecorino Romano, but for a slightly milder and creamier effect, we use a mix of Pecorino and Parmesan cheese in this recipe. The
preparation time for this simple pasta recipe is about 40 minutes, with 60 minutes for the pasta dough to rest.

Ingredients for the pasta

• 400 gr

• 4 whole eggs

• 2 loose egg yolks

• 2 tsp olive oil

• Pinch of salt

For the cacio e pepe sauce

• 100 gr shaved parmesan cheese

• 100 gr shaved Pecorino Romano cheese

• 2 tbsp black peppercorns

• 3 tsp salt

Cooking utensils

• Sieve

• Plastic foil

• Pasta machine or rolling pin

• Frying pan with lid

• Pepper mill or mortar

Preparation

The pasta

1 - Make sure your countertop is thoroughly clean. Mix the salt with the flour and sift the flour onto the countertop. Make a well in the center of the flour with your finger.

2 - Put the four whole eggs and the two yolks into the dimple and drizzle the olive oil on top of the flour.

3 - Knead the flour well with both hands for 5 to 10 minutes until a smooth dough forms. If it is a little too wet you can add some flour, and if it is too dry you can wet your hands with water while kneading.

4 - Sprinkle the dough ball with flour, then wrap it in plastic. Let the dough rest for an hour.

5- After an hour, unwrap the dough ball and flatten it a bit. Set the pasta machine to the widest setting and spin the dough slice through it a few times. Turn the machine down a notch each time and keep passing the dough through. Repeat until you have a nice thin layer of pasta and finish with the spaghetti knives. Don't have a pasta machine?

6 - Roll the dough as flat as possible with a rolling pin and sprinkle some flour on top. Then roll up the pasta and cut the spaghetti by hand.

The sauce

1 - Put a large frying pan on the fire with a thin layer of water. Make sure you have just enough water to completely cover the pasta. Tip: do not make more than 2 servings at a time. This way you ensure that the pan does not get too full.

2 - When the water boils, add the pasta. Cook for about 1 minute with the lid on the pan.

3 - Remove the lid from the pan and let the water almost completely reduce. Add the cheeses while stirring. The pasta is ready when the cheese has melted all the way around the spaghetti. Add the peppercorns to taste and serve the pasta.Buon apetito