Authentic Cacio e pepe Recipe Rome, Italy

The basis of all Roman pasta dishes, cacio e pepe, is a simple primo piatto consisting of only three main ingredients: pasta, Pecorino Romano, and pepper, with pasta cooking water being the crucial fourth ingredient that's essential to make the sauce. However, although at first glance, a simple dish to make, the technique may take some practice to perfect, since the sauce has to be just right — that is, creamy, silky, and luscious. The secret lies in concentrating starch by cooking pasta in a small amount of water, which is then used to dilute the Pecorino Romano before it's stirred, off heat, together with pasta, ground pepper, and the rest of the water. As a finishing touch, once plated, and before serving, all that is required is a light sprinkling of pepper and, optionally, grated pecorino.