Let’s start with the “cacio”: it has to be Pecorino Romano DOP. To make the sauce without lumps forming, do not use cream cheese! The trick is to heat the pecorino gently with a little hot water (under 65°C). Add a more or less equal quantity of hot water to the grated pecorino. Use the cooking water for the pasta to stop lumps forming.
Now for the pasta: spaghetti, drained at just the right moment. Traditionally long pasta like spaghetti or squarish tonnarelli is recommended, and should be drained before it is perfectly cooked since it has to be tossed in the pan with water and pecorino.
And now, amazingly, the dish can be made in just 10 minutes!
Ingredients and quantities for 4 people:
400 grams Spaghetti
150 grams Pecorino romano
about 100 grams of pasta cooking water
freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Cook the spaghetti so that it is not even ‘al dente’, draining it a couple of minutes before the recommended cooking time.
On the side, grate the pecorino in a bowl and mix it with an equal quantity of pasta cooking water until you get a smooth cream.
Put the spaghetti in a skillet with the pecorino paste and stir, adding a couple of tablespoonfuls of cooking water if necessary.
When the spaghetti is cooked and the sauce has slightly thickened, serve it and sprinkle with freshly cracked pepper.