Pici Cacio e Pepe

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large wooden board for rolling
• •Large 12-inch skillet
• •Mortar and pestle or spice grinder
• •Microplane or fine box grater
• •Large pot for boiling pasta

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mound the flour on a wooden board and create a well in the center. Add the warm water, olive oil, and salt to the well. Using a fork, gradually draw flour from the inner walls of the well into the liquid, working in circles until a shaggy mass forms. Knead with your hands until smooth, about 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should be firm but pliable, not sticky. Wrap in plastic and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

   Pici dough contains no eggs. This is not an oversight. The eggless dough creates the dense, chewy texture that defines the pasta. Do not add eggs hoping to improve it.
2. 2

   Roll the pici

   Cut the rested dough into four pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the rest covered. Roll the dough into a thick sheet, about one-quarter inch. Cut into strips one-half inch wide. Take each strip and roll it under your palms on an unfloured surface, working from the center outward, until you have an irregular rope about the thickness of a pencil, roughly 10 inches long. The irregularity is correct. Perfectly uniform pici would be a contradiction.

   Work on a surface without flour. The slight friction helps the dough roll and stretch. If the dough springs back, let it rest two minutes and try again.
3. 3

   Toast the pepper

   Place the peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast, shaking the pan occasionally, until fragrant and you see the first wisps of smoke, about 2 minutes. Transfer immediately to a mortar or spice grinder. Crush coarsely. You want visible shards and irregular pieces, not powder. Set aside.

   Pre-ground pepper is dead pepper. The volatile oils that give black pepper its heat and perfume evaporate within hours of grinding. Toast and crush your own. There is no substitute.
4. 4

   Prepare the cheese

   Grate the Pecorino Romano on the finest holes of a box grater or with a Microplane. The cheese must be almost powdery. Large shreds will not emulsify properly and you will have clumps instead of cream. Place in a bowl and set aside.

5. 5

   Cook the pasta

   Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil. Salt it well, though slightly less than you might for other pasta. The cheese adds considerable salt. Add the pici and stir immediately to prevent sticking. Cook until tender with pleasant resistance, 4 to 5 minutes for fresh pici. The thick noodles need more time than you expect. Before draining, reserve at least two cups of the cooking water. You will need it.

6. 6

   Build the sauce

   While the pasta cooks, place the crushed pepper in a large, cold skillet. Add one cup of the starchy pasta water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for one minute. This blooms the pepper and infuses the water. Remove from heat and let cool for 30 seconds. The water must not be boiling when the cheese is added.

7. 7

   Create the emulsion

   Add the grated Pecorino to the warm pepper water in three additions, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon after each. The cheese should melt into a creamy sauce, not clump into strings. If it seizes, the water was too hot. If it stays grainy, the water was too cool. Add small splashes of pasta water as needed to keep the consistency loose and creamy.

   The emulsion is everything. Temperature matters more than technique. The water must be warm enough to melt the cheese but not so hot that it causes the proteins to seize into rubber. This takes practice. Do not despair if your first attempt fails.
8. 8

   Finish and serve

   Drain the pici and add directly to the skillet with the cheese sauce. Toss vigorously over low heat, adding pasta water a tablespoon at a time until the sauce coats each strand in a glossy, creamy emulsion. The sauce should cling, not pool. Serve immediately in warm bowls, finishing with additional pepper. Do not add more cheese at the table. The balance is already correct. Once the pasta is sauced, serve it promptly, inviting your guests and family to put off talking and start eating.

Chef Tips

• •Pecorino Romano is sharper and saltier than Pecorino Toscano. True Tuscans might use their local cheese, which is milder. Use Romano for the authentic cacio e pepe flavor, Toscano for something gentler. Do not use Parmigiano-Reggiano. This is not that dish.
• •The pasta water is not optional. That starchy liquid is what allows the cheese to emulsify into a sauce instead of clumping into a mass. Reserve more than you think you need. You cannot add water you do not have.
• •If the sauce breaks and becomes grainy or stringy, you can sometimes rescue it by adding ice-cold pasta water and whisking vigorously off the heat. Sometimes. Prevention is more reliable than cure.
• •Pici can be made several hours ahead and left on a floured tray at room temperature. They can also be dried completely for storage, though fresh pici has a chew that dried cannot match.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made up to one day ahead, wrapped tightly, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before rolling.
• •Pici can be rolled several hours before cooking. Dust with semolina, arrange in loose nests on a floured tray, and leave uncovered at room temperature.
• •The sauce cannot be made ahead. It must be assembled at the moment of serving. This is not a dish for entertaining unless your guests understand that they will wait for the pasta, not the other way around.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 190g)