Cacio e Pepper RDX

Recipe by Nurperi Yigit
pepper rdx
Cacio e Pepper RDX
Serves 2

The most famous of the Roman classics, as well as the simplest. It’s all about the quality of each ingredient and putting care into the sauce-work at the end. In this cacio e pepe, Pepper RDX brings a softer and more complex heat, with subtle notes of citrus. Feel free to use bucatini, rigatoni, or mezze maniche, if you prefer.

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Pepper RDX
Pepper RDX
Ingredients

200 g spaghetti 
100 g Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated 
4 tbsp Pepper RDX
Salt, to taste  

Method

Cook the pasta:

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (You want the water to be salty like the sea, which is usually about 1 tablespoon of salt per liter of water). Add the pasta and cook until it is slightly less than al dente, about 1-2 minutes less than package instructions.   

Prepare the sauce:  

  • Add the grated pecorino to a mixing bowl. 
  • Once the pasta is just about done, add a few ladles of the pasta water to the bowl and whisk together to create the cheese sauce. The goal is to create a smooth, glossy, and beautifully creamy sauce. Add more pasta water as needed to achieve this.    

Marry the pasta and sauce (what Italians call the mantecatura): 

  • In a pan set to low heat, pour the Pepper RDX and warm very gently. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan.
  • Add the cheese sauce and toss and mix thoroughly, until the sauce is well incorporated.  If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more pasta water, a little at a time, until it becomes silky and coats the pasta evenly.  

Serve the dish: 

  • Taste and adjust the seasoning to taste. Working quickly, plate the pasta. Feel free to add freshly cracked black pepper at the end for the classic notes, and/or some more Pepper RDX.

In the making

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