Cacio e Pepe & Carbonara Pasta Class

Cacio e pepe: a lesson in emulsion

There is no cream and no butter in a proper cacio e pepe. The creaminess comes from starchy pasta water working on finely grated pecorino romano. The usual trouble is that the cheese seizes into stringy lumps if it meets heat that is too fierce. Cooks who make it well tend to follow the same principles:

• Grate the pecorino very finely so that it melts rather than clumps.
• Toast freshly cracked black pepper briefly in a dry pan to wake up its aroma.
• Use pasta water that is properly starchy, which often means cooking the pasta in less water than you would normally use.
• Bring cheese, pepper and water together in stages, off a fierce heat, stirring constantly.

Carbonara and the no-cream rule

Carbonara is built on guanciale, cured pork cheek, which is rendered slowly until the fat runs and the edges turn crisp. Eggs are beaten with pecorino romano and black pepper, then stirred through the hot pasta away from direct heat, so that the residual warmth thickens the sauce without scrambling it. Cream is not part of the Roman recipe, and neither are garlic or onion. The origins of the dish are debated and it appears to be a twentieth-century creation rather than an ancient one, so be wary of any neat, confident story about charcoal burners.

Versions differ even within Rome: some cooks use whole eggs, some use mostly yolks, and some add a little Parmigiano alongside the pecorino. What nearly all agree on is that the sauce should be glossy and loose enough to coat each strand, never dry and never runny.

Pasta shapes that suit these sauces

Spaghetti is the familiar choice for both dishes. In Rome you will also find tonnarelli, a fresh egg pasta cut into square-sided strands, and short, ridged shapes such as rigatoni and mezze maniche, which hold carbonara particularly well in their hollows. Dried durum wheat pasta has a rougher surface than many people expect, and that surface helps the sauce cling.

How to judge a plate in a Roman trattoria

• The sauce clings to the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
• Carbonara is pale gold with visible pieces of guanciale, not white and heavy.
• Cacio e pepe has a clear peppery fragrance and a smooth sheen, with no grainy cheese.
• The plate arrives hot and is eaten straight away, because both sauces tighten as they cool.

Etiquette and rhythm

In Italy pasta is a first course, a primo, not a side dish, and it is not normally topped with extra cheese at the table or served with chicken. Both dishes suit any season, though their richness feels most welcome on cooler evenings. A short walk after a plate of either is never a bad idea.