Pasta with pecorino and pepper

I have been trying to make Cacio e pepe. I have been using a recipe I heard and saw on television...test kitchen show! As I understand, starchy cooking liquid is the key. I cook the pasta in a smal amount of water which I then use to make the sauce. It always tastes great, but the cheese sticks to the bowl and becomes very "gummy". Any suggestions for the delicious Italian dish?

runtothetable
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3 Comments

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pierino
pierino April 16, 2012
First of all that is one weird starting recipe for what is a very simple dish. Another example of why I think America's Test Kitchen is cuckoo. First you cook the pasta in large volume of salted water---always. Heat the olive oil in a pan and then add the butter. Transfer the cooked pasta to a platter, pour over the oil and butter and then add the cheese to the pasta, not to the sauce. The reason it's gummy is because parmagiano and pecorino are not good melting cheeses. After that hit with as much black pepper as you can tolerate. Now how hard is that America's Test Kitchen?
 
runtothetable
runtothetable April 21, 2012
Thanks for your reply. I am so glad to hear you think some of ATK recipes are "cuckoo"! I always feel like such a failure when I try their recipes and they don't work! How much butter, oil and cheese do you suggest per pound of pasta?
 
ATG117
ATG117 April 16, 2012
Mario batali makes a great version at his restaurant. Here's a recipe I found:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/bavette-with-cheese-and-pepper-bavette-cacio-e-pepe-recipe/index.html

I'm also thinking your cheese may be getting gummy due to the liquid you are adding. If you are boiling your pasta in too little water, the cooking liquid would likely be too starchy.
 
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