Spaghetti with Pecorino Romano and Black Pepper (Cacio e Pepe)

Name: Spaghetti with Pecorino Romano and Black Pepper (Cacio e Pepe)
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 6 ounces, Pecorino Romano, 4 ounces finely grated (about 2 cups) and 2 ounces coarsely grated (about 1 cup) (see note); 1 pound, spaghetti; , Salt; 2 tablespoons, heavy cream (see note); 2 teaspoons, extra-virgin olive oil; 1 1/2 teaspoons, finely ground black pepper

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By Yvonne Ruperti

Appears in Cook's Illustrated January/February 2010, America's Test Kitchen TV

With just three main ingredients (cheese, pepper, and pasta), this Roman dish would be the best quick meal we ever tasted. As long as we could keep the sauce from clumping.

SERVES4 to 6

TIME30 minutes

has video

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

For cheesy cacio e pepe recipe that was also creamy and smooth, we swapped butter for heavy cream, whose lipoproteins encouraged the protein and fat molecules in the sauce to bond rather than separate.

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