Author Notes

Although cacio e pepe is merrily served all over Rome as a quick and easy dish, the technique for making it right is a little tricky. The key is to emulsify the cheese into a little bit of reserved starchy pasta cooking water so you get a creamy, luscious sauce that coats the pasta. Unfortunately, if you don’t get it right, the cheese clumps up, but the good news is that it’s still perfectly delicious if that happens.



I heard a lot of variations when trying to figure out how exactly to make this dish—most of which didn’t work. I made one with a slurry of cheese, fizzy water, and cracked black pepper that was supposed to sit in the bottom of the bowl so the hot pasta would melt the cheese to coat the pasta strands. It didn’t work. Butter is a common addition in American versions of the recipe, and while it might work, it’s not Roman.



After all my experiments, this recipe was the winner. Enjoy. —Sara Jenkins