Truffle Cacio e Pepe
Rome's ancient three-ingredient pasta elevated with truffle — cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) sauce made with Pecorino Romano and Parmesan, black pepper toasted and bloomed in the pasta water, with the addition of fresh black truffle shaved generously at the table or truffle paste stirred into the sauce. The most luxurious version of Rome's simplest pasta.
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Hard
Prep 20 min · Cook 30 min
Ingredients
Method
Toast cracked black pepper in a dry pan 1 minute until fragrant. Add 2 ladlefuls of pasta cooking water; simmer 1 minute. Set aside in the pan you'll use for the sauce.
About 5 min
Cook pasta in heavily salted (but not excessive) water — keep it saltier but also keep the water starchier (less water than usual). Reserve 200ml cooking water.
About 14 min
Mix Pecorino and Parmesan with 3 tablespoons cool pasta water to form a smooth paste (not clumpy). This is the key step — it prevents the cheese from clumping.
About 14 min
Add pasta to the pepper-water pan; toss over medium heat. Remove from heat completely. Quickly add cheese paste and 3–4 tablespoons pasta water while tossing vigorously. The off-heat emulsification is what prevents scrambling.
About 14 min
Stir in truffle paste. Serve in warm bowls immediately. Shave fresh truffle if using. The sauce should be glossy, creamy and cling to every strand.
About 3 min
Nutrition per serving (estimate)
- Calories
- 580
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 72 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 760 mg
Contains: gluten, dairy, eggs
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Recipe by Boon Tools.