Happiness is in a bowl of pasta… made with Love.

Rigatoni Cacio e Pepe

Sheep’s Milk Pecorino, Crushed Peppercorns, Roman Style
Serves 6

Fabio Trabocchi’s Rigatoni Cacio e Pepe is a customer favorite at the Sfloglina Pasta Houses in the Washington, D.C. area and will be featured on the menu at his new Fiolina in Boca Raton.

Like other fresh pastas, the rigatoni are rolled out in the morning and sauced like they do in Rome – with sheep’s milk Pecorino and crushed peppercorns. It’s a flavorful dish that uses only a few ingredients but results in a complex flavor. When making it at home, feel free to use a dry pasta or order our fresh pasta “to-go.” Making the sauce at home can be tricky, but following our pro tips can help you make it taste just like the restaurant version.

Tips and tricks

• Use fresh black pepper, which doubles up on the flavor.

• Grate the cheese finely on a microplane so it incorporates into the sauce more smoothly.

• Remove the pasta from the boiling water with a slotted spoon about one minute before it’s ready and finish it in a large, warm mixing bowl. (This gives you an excuse not to wash a second sauté pan AND prevents the cheese from “clumping.”) For the pasta makers out there – go ahead and use that sauté pan to sauce your pasta. Just don’t let it get too hot or the cheese will “clump.”

• Feel free to adjust the cheese ingredients and use a mixture of half Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano with your Pecorino Romano. The final dish will be “less Roman”, but the sauce is a little less strong in taste.

• Peppercorn amounts can also be adjusted to your liking. Add more or less depending on your preference.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons coarsely ground fresh black peppercorns

• 1 pound rigatoni (or mezza rigatoni or another dry pasta of your choice)

• 1 ½ cups finely grated Pecorino cheese

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While you’re waiting, grind the peppercorns very coarsely using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle* (See note).

2. Once the water reaches its boiling point, add 1 ounce of salt per liter of water, then add the pasta. Follow the cooking time instructions but undercook the pasta by about 1 minute so that it can be finished at the end in the sauce and remain al dente.

3. Quickly drain the pasta from the pot of water with a slotted spoon and drop into a large mixing bowl that is at room temperature. Add the pecorino cheese in three different batches to the mix, along with 4-5 ounces of the hot cooking water and the ground pepper. Mix the pasta gently with a large spoon or spatula so that the cooking water moistens it along with the cheese and the peppercorns. The sauce should be smooth, silky, and creamy, and it should coat the pasta.

4. Serve immediately in a warm pasta bowl. Add more freshly ground peppercorns and cheese to your taste. DELIZIOSO!