Cacio e Pepe Con Pasta Fatta in Casa

By Enrique Guerrero, Bang Bite Filling Station and Fenix at Vanessie · Photo by Stephanie Cameron

Serves 4–5

Pasta

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (unbleached)
• 5 large eggs

Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour, and add the eggs. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well. As you mix in the eggs, keep pushing flour up to retain the well shape. The dough will come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated.

Start kneading the dough with both hands, primarily using the palms of your hands. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour in 1/4-cup increments. Once the dough is a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up any leftover dry bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, dusting your board with flour as needed. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature. Roll and form as desired. Fettuccine and tagliatelle are good options for the sauce recipe below.

Sauce

• 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grated Cacio di Roma or Pecorino-Romano cheese
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 teaspoons toasted, coarsely ground black pepper, plus more for serving

Put the pasta, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 5 1/2 cups of water together in a high-sided medium skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to cook, stirring the pasta frequently to keep it from clumping, until it is al dente, about 4–5 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain off any remaining water. Stir in the lemon juice. Gradually sprinkle in the cheese mix until completely melted, then add the butter. Sprinkle in more cheese, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir until melted and smooth—the cheese will clump at first then melt into the sauce and thicken it up after about 4 minutes. Divide the pasta among 4 bowls and garnish with additional cheese and pepper.