Rigatoni Cacio e Pepe

Two ingredients. That is all. Pecorino Romano and black pepper. Cacio e Pepe is the oldest pasta in Rome -- a dish that shepherds carried into the hills because cheese and pepper were the only provisions that would survive the journey.

The technique is deceptively simple. Toast the pepper, build a cream from pecorino and starchy pasta water, and toss it with rigatoni until every ridge is coated. Get it right and the sauce is silk. Get it wrong and the cheese clumps.

At Maestri, we chose rigatoni for a reason. The large ridged tubes hold the peppery pecorino cream in a way that spaghetti simply cannot. Every bite is the full experience.