The dish is evocative of the Roman times, when shepherds would take their flock to graze in the Apennine mountains in the spring and summer months. For sustenance, they would carry dried homemade pasta and make cheese out of the sheep’s milk. Cacio e Pepe means “cheese and pepper” in several central Italian dialects. This traditional Cacio e Pepe takes about 20-25 minutes to make, with three easy ingredients. It is this simplicity and technique that makes the dish a favourite all over Italy.
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Serves
2
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Cook Time
25m
Ingredients
- 100 gm spaghetti alla chitarra
- 35-40 gm Parmesan
- 20 gm butter
- 20 gm black pepper
- 5 l salted water
- 15 ml olive oil
- Salt to taste
Preparation
- Boil the spaghetti in salted water until its cooked al dente.
- Place a pan over medium flame, pour in some olive oil along with the butter, and add some freshly crushed black pepper.
- Throw in the boiled spaghetti along with some of the water from the pasta.
- Toss the pasta, so that everything comes together.
- Serve topped with grated Parmesan and drizzle of olive oil.
Chef Pukrambam Daya Singh mans the kitchen at Cincin, Mumbai. After getting a Bachelor’s degree in hotel management and catering technology, he started his culinary journey at The Park Vishakhapatnam and moved on to work at renowned restaurants such as Tonino and Artusi, both in Delhi. His interest in Italian cuisine was fuelled by his stint at a pasta lab early on in his career. Since then his love for it has only grown.
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