Cacio e Pepe Risotto
Cacio e pepe, but make it risotto. A classic Roman dish of cheese (cacio) and pepper (pepe) is super simple to make and requires only a few ingredients. This risotto uses water instead of stock to really let the Pecorino Romano flavour sing.
Cacio e Pepe Risotto
Serves four
Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 eschallot
1 celery stick
100ml dry white wine
350g risotto rice
2 litres water
50 unsalted butter
2 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
100g Pecorino Romano, finely grated (plus extra to serve)
Method
Risotto
Pop the eschallot and celery into a blender and give it whizz to form a paste.
On a low heat, add the olive oil to a large pan, shortly followed by the eschallot and celery. Sauté gently for about 10 minutes.
In another saucepan bring around 2 litres of water to a low simmer - this will act as your stock.
Back to the main pan, add the white wine and let that cook for a few minutes before adding in the rice. Stir well to coat the rice in all of the beautiful juices in the pan. After a minute or so the rice will start to turn opaque - indicating this is when you need to start adding water.
Add water one ladle at a time, stirring frequently to help bring out the starch in the rice. Never let the rice completely dry out before adding your next ladle. Continue adding water by the ladle until the rice is cooked through and with a very slight bite to it - around 15-20 minutes. The consistency shouldn’t be gloopy or clumpy - you should be able to use a spoon to part the risotto and it quickly fall back to the centre.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, ground black pepper and grated Pecorino Romano. Stir to combine, check for seasoning and leave to rest for a few minutes before serving. If you feel the risotto has stiffened too much over this time, add a half ladle of water and stir through before serving.
Finishing touches
Serve in a shallow plate, letting the risotto spill out to cover the base. Add extra black pepper and a dusting of grated Pecorino Romano.
