Cacio e Pepe: A Love Story (With Twists!)

By Vincenzo's Plate · 20 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and stir until dissolved, then add the pasta.
2. Cook the pasta for 2 to 3 minutes less than the packet instructions.
3. While the pasta cooks, toast the black peppercorns in a large pan over medium heat until fragrant, then remove the pan from the heat.
4. Put the peppercorns in a zip-top bag and crush them coarsely with a heavy object, such as a burger press; crush further for a finer grind.
5. Finely chop the peeled and deveined shrimp, put them in a small bowl, add a few servings of extra virgin olive oil, and zest the lime and orange over the bowl. Mix gently.
6. Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the ground pepper and 1 ladle of pasta water.
7. Transfer the cooked pasta straight from the pot into the pan with tongs and let it simmer.
8. Turn the heat to high and toss the pasta with tongs until well coated, leaving a little pasta water in the pan.
9. Turn off the heat and wait 10 seconds. Add the grated Pecorino and mix quickly until smooth and free of clumps. Take the pan completely off the heat.
10. Add 1 more ladle of reserved pasta water and toss until creamy and combined.
11. Serve each portion topped with a generous tablespoon of the shrimp mixture and drizzle with olive oil, using 2 to 3 shrimp per person.

Summarized from Vincenzo's Plate's video. Watch it for the details.

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CheeseLimeShrimpOrangePecorino cheese