Cacio e Pepe Risotto

4.75 from 4 votes

Cacio e pepe risotto combines the delicious flavors from freshly cracked black pepper and pecorino romano cheese into a creamy, starchy, comfort food experience .

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: black pepper, pecorino romano, risotto

Servings:

Calories: 349kcal

Equipment

1 cast iron dutch oven or heavy pot
1 medium pot
1 cheese grater or zyliss

Ingredients

1 cup Arborio rice
1 tablespoon Butter
¼ cup dry white wine
4 cups Chicken stock
¼ cup Marscapone
¾ cup Pecorino Romano cheese
¼ cup Parmesan
2 teaspoon Fresh cracked black pepper *see note below

Instructions

In the medium pot, heat 4 cups of chicken stock and bring to a low simmer. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.
Heat a large pot or dutch oven to medium-high and add 1 tablespoon of butter.
Add arborio rice to the pot and stir to coat with butter. Let the rice toast in the butter for about two minutes while stirring.
After the rice has toasted, add the white wine and stir in well. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the rice in the white wine until it is completely absorbed.
Once the white wine has cooked down, add a full ladle of warm chicken stock to the pot and continuously stir. The rice and chicken stock mixture should stay at a low bubble throughout the cooking process. Every time the chicken stock has been completely absorbed by the rice, add another ladle. This process will take 25-30 minutes.
While the risotto cooks, prepare the pepper corns and grate the cheese. In a small dry pan, toast about a tablespoon of whole black peppercorns on low heat for 2 minutes or until the peppercorns become fragrant. Transfer the toasted peppercorns to a pepper grinder. Grind pepper into a dish and set aside.
Take a little taste of the rice and see if it is cooked through. Once it is cooked through, add one more half of a ladle of chicken stock to keep the risotto loose and not stuck together.
Turn off the heat. Stir in the marscapone cheese. It should have a loose and creamy consistency. Next, add 1 teaspoon of pepper and half of the shredded pecorino romano and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and more black pepper if desired.
The risotto is ready for serving. Top the risotto with the remaining cheese and more ground pepper if desired.

Notes

Black Pepper: add as much or as little as you would like. This recipe calls for 2 teaspoons, but only add as much as you want. One teaspoon may be all you need if that is your preference.

Optional add ins: diced onion, minced garlic, fresh lemon wedges for serving, fresh parsley for serving, cooked pancetta and peas to make it a meal

Nutrition