“Cacio e pepe embraces fundamental aspects of Lazio cuisine – originality, territory and simplicity”

– Chef Antonio Magliulo, La Posta Vecchia

One of Lazio’s best known dishes and pretty much everyone’s favourite for its perfect harmony of pecorino, pepper and pasta, cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) has long been loved for its hit-the-spot-everytime forkful and seemingly simplicity in making the dish, but as Antonio Magliulo, executive chef at La Posta Vecchia, describes, “the simplest recipes are [often] the most difficult”.

The key to a killer cacio e pepe is keeping an eye on quantities so when Magliulo suggests a ‘generous’ amount of pepper, he means it. And Magliulo is serious when he stresses sourcing a proper pecorino romano, a hard, salty cheese made with sheep’s milk from sheep raised and ranged across Lazio pastures.

Like Il Pellicano and Mezzatorre, La Posta Vecchia is oriented towards a “simple kitchen, which means a focus on top quality product with the least amount of intervention” – Magliulo and La Posta Vecchia are going to the source.

Last and most importantly, don’t throw out the water – the best kept secret to an amazing cacio e pepe is to slowly and sparingly add the cooked pasta water.