Pasta Madness

Pecorino, Pepper & Lemon Sauce

Serve with:

This sauce, while cacio e pepe adjacent, is not cacio e pepe. Don’t call it that. It includes lemon and cream. The lemon helps add a nice citrusy flavor and the cream makes the sauce much easier to emulsify. This recipe is its own thing, and it is very tasty.

Ingredients

  • 3½ ounces (100 grams) Pecorino Romano
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 teaspoons (6 grams) whole black peppercorns
  • 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter
  • Kosher salt
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream

Directions

  1. Finely grate the Pecorino on the smallest holes of a box grater and add it to a bowl. Grate the zest of half of the lemon and juice it all.
  2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high and toast the peppercorns until fragrant, shaking the pan often, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and crush until semi-fine.
  3. In the same nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add three-quarters of the pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the butter starts to foam. Turn off the heat and set aside.
  4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season it generously with salt. Cook your pasta of choice until just shy of your liking (if using dried pasta, 1 to 2 minutes before al dente).
  5. When the pasta is almost ready, add ¼ cup (60 ml) pasta cooking water to the bowl with the Pecorino and stir into a thick paste.
  6. Place the skillet with the butter and pepper over high heat. Transfer the pasta and ½ cup (120 ml) pasta cooking water to the pan and toss until the water thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. (If you need to drain the pasta first, reserve 1 cup (240 ml) pasta cooking water.) Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the cream. Let it bubble for a few moments until thickened once more.
  7. Turn off the heat and add the Pecorino paste. Stir vigorously until the cheese melts and the sauce becomes creamy. Loosen with more pasta water if needed—it’s better for the sauce to be a little loose since it will tighten as it cools. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Divide the pasta among bowls and serve immediately with a sprinkle of the remaining pepper.

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