Smoked cacio e pepe starts with the Pecorino

The cacio e pepe prepared for Affumicando by Giamaio and Flow Cook. · Giamaio

By the time the spaghetti is ready, the smoking is done. Flow Cook’s version scents the grated Pecorino first. That lets the pasta go straight from the mixing bowl to the table while the sauce still flows.

Divide the cheese first

Grate the Pecorino and set aside a spoonful of plain cheese. Spread the rest loosely in a wide bowl and cover it with a cloche. Following the instructions for your smoker, introduce the smoke. Our recipe uses food-grade orange wood. Lift the cover and smell the cheese from a short distance. Its own aroma should still come through.

The plain spoonful gives you a way to soften the smoky character without adding more liquid. Before dressing all the pasta, take a little sauce and try mixing a pinch of plain cheese into it.

Make the sauce off the heat

In the Flow Cook recipe, toasted pepper flavours a light broth. Allow it to cool to warm before adding it to the Pecorino a little at a time. Stir after each addition. Stop when the sauce slips off the spoon. The cover supplies the wood aroma earlier in the process, so there is no reason to hold a bowl of hot pasta under it.

Taste it on one strand

Cheese that tastes assertive on its own can be quite balanced on pasta. Wind a cooked strand through the sauce before adjusting it. When you can pick out the pepper, sheep’s milk and a final touch of wood, coat the rest of the pasta off the heat. Serve straight away. The free recipe gives the full quantities and the order of preparation.