Spaghetti cacio e pepe
Don’t let this simple sauce fool you – it’s gloriously cheesy and oozing with flavour.
SERVES 4 PREP 20min COOK about 20min
• 1tbsp black peppercorns
• 350g spaghetti
• 150g Pecorino Romano, finely grated, at room temperature
• 50g butter
1Toast the peppercorns in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until fragrant. Remove from heat and roughly crush using a pestle and mortar. Set aside.
2 Bring a medium pan of salted water to the boil and cook pasta according to pack instructions. A couple of minutes into cooking, remove 150ml of cooking water and leave to cool slightly.
3 In a bowl, whisk together the Pecorino and slightly cooled pasta water until fairly smooth.
4 Melt butter in a medium frying pan over a low heat and continue cooking until golden and starting to smell toasty. Remove from heat.
5 Drain pasta and add to the butter pan along with the cheese sauce. Toss together until any remaining blobs of cheese have melted and the sauce coats the pasta; this may take a couple of minutes. Stir through pepper and serve in warmed bowls.
PER SERVING: CALS 554; FAT 24G; SAT FAT 14G; CARBS 63G