Cacio e Pepe Frico Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

UESlit

I’ve made these for years and they’re a wonderful standby for serving with a glass of wine. They keep well in an airtight container for up to a week. A sprinkle of Herbes de Provence is a nice variation as is some chopped rosemary.

MishaX

I make these in a hot cast iron skillet. Works perfectly and you can tell how brown they are.

G

I add some chopped walnuts to the cheese. Recipe from Carla Hall. Delicious and always a crowd pleaser!

Marty

I made these with cheddar cheese. My first batch did not turn out. They were chewy, not crunchy at all. Why? 1. I put the cheese on too thickly. 2. I did not let the crackers cool on the pan. Once I corrected these things, they were better. However they were NEVER so good as when I made them with Parmesan. I think that the cheddar is just too fatty/greasy to give an ideal result. Will only use Parmesan in the future.

Deb Evans

After reading the notes, I made the recipe as stated and loved them. Did put one batch in for 10 minutes instead of 6 and liked them more as they were more cracker-like. So easy and tasty.

Joey

FRICO s crisp better if using tinfoil rather than parchment.

Nanette

We served them tonight, rolled into cigars. When we ran out of pita, they became baba ghanouj dipsticks! Sacrilege? Nope. It was the Lebanese nontraditionalist who created the combo!

Aunticky

These are a staple in low-carb and keto households.

joan

Just made these. Used herbs de Provence vs. pepper. They turned out perfectly. Like a few others, i think they’re a bit salty, so next time, maybe 1 cup parmigiana and 1/2 cup pecorino. Psyched to bring them to friends.

Tobalah

Mix in a tiny, tiny pinch of cayenne. Don’t need the wasteful parchment osper. Just let them cool for a moment, then remove fron the sheet with a thin, flexible spatula. Cool on rack.

Charlotte Ann Marie

Used half Parmesan and half pecorino, and yes, too salty, and honestly a little too greasy. However, I could see them chopped up and sprinkled on a Caesar Salad. They would also make an excellent vegetarian substitute for bacon on a classic wedge salad.

Barb

This was a big hit with our guests. I loved the easy win! Parmesan only worked just fine but the combo was yummy too.

JaneB

Parm is the best cheese for this, in my experience. Freshly grated rather than pre-grated makes a visible difference (taste-able difference too)!

Cheryl

In a pinch (and/or when the kitchen is too lot to turn on the oven), you can quickly do a few crackers on a plate in the microwave (30-60 seconds)

Dev

This is a great recipe for frico croccante (crunchy frico) not to be confused with the other type of frico, frico di patate, which is a crisp patty of onion, potato, and Montesio, also found in northeast Italy. I always heap up the cheese but not press it down; it should melt into a crisp with a slightly gooey center that way. Helps if you use a cast-iron instead of a baking sheet, whether stovetop or in the oven.Also, I second the walnut idea - not traditional but really tasty!

Rob

Cook until you get some browning on the edges. Six minutes was about right. I also used a screw on canning lid as a form.

Connie Evans

I made these according to the recipe, except that I used herbs de provence instead of pepper. They were chewy and a bit greasy. I shredded my own pecorino, but used "fresh" shredded store-bought parmesan. I also used a bit more parm than pecorino given the comments about salt.

Eleanor

Do NOT use wax paper. They stick.

Val

These are better done in the oven than in a frypan . Also easier on parchment. Lift right off.

sheila38

Oh boy! Guests coming and didn’t feel like cooking. Made these little discs of Italian sunshine. EASY. DELICIOUS. BEAUTIFUL. Got a standing ovation and had to explain 3 times how easy it was.

Roxanne

Might be my oven, but I had to leave them in closer to 7 minutes. Big hit.

Scratch

A bit chewy, but I'm fine with that. Tasty and perhaps the easiest app that goes in an oven.

marbsmama

I baked the first batch for about 6 minutes at 375 on convection, the second batch 5 minutes at the same temp and used Parmesan only. They were not as crisp as I would like, so will play with time and temperature. I loved the bite from the fresh-ground black pepper!Note: if you use foil instead of parchment, use the non-stick variety or you will spend minutes peeling the foil from the crisps - that was the first batch. Crisps simply lifted off Parchment I used for second batch.

Margaret

Very good, but very salty.

Patricia

These were ridiculously easy, and a huge hit with my friends. Based on comments, I used 1 c. parm and 1/2 c pecorino--and they were plenty salty. Also used non-stick foil. They looked like a literal hot mess as they were baking, but separated into something like cracker-shaped when they cooled.

JohnL

Can also be made larger (about 6" diameter), and when just cool/firm enough to transfer with a spatula, gently drape over an inverted bowl and leave to droop and then cool completely (10 minutes), ending up with an elegant toasted cheese bowl in which to serve risotto. People love this presentation and it is super-easy. Irregular shape is more interesting than a perfect circle. Also: I always skip the parchment paper and use instead a silicone mat on top of a sheet pan.

PaulM

I've been making these for the past few years as a keto substitute for traditional crackers.

KL

I’ve found that using packaged thinly pregrated cheese, all Parmesan, works well because of the small amount of cornstarch that has been added to keep the cheese from clumping.

Filatura

Perfectly fine, even better if you spread a thin layer of cheese on an 8" non-stick pan and cook over medium heat until the bottom is melted and crisp. Then a quick flip to brown the top. Drain off any released oil. Break up into several small jagged pieces or use the whole thing to top eggs, chili, soup, salad.

Dev

This is a great recipe for frico croccante (crunchy frico) not to be confused with the other type of frico, frico di patate, which is a crisp patty of onion, potato, and Montesio, also found in northeast Italy. I always heap up the cheese but not press it down; it should melt into a crisp with a slightly gooey center that way. Helps if you use a cast-iron instead of a baking sheet, whether stovetop or in the oven.Also, I second the walnut idea - not traditional but really tasty!

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Cacio e Pepe Frico Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to keep cheese from clumping in cacio e pepe? ›

How to avoid clumping in Cacio e Pepe Sauce
  1. Use high quality ingredients. ...
  2. Grate cheese yourself. ...
  3. Grate cheese first. ...
  4. Use finely grated cheese. ...
  5. Do NOT adjust the amount of water for cooking the pasta. ...
  6. Don't reserve pasta water early. ...
  7. Let pasta water cool. ...
  8. Don't add cheese all at once.

What makes Cacio e Pepe so good? ›

The sharp spice from black pepper and creamy tanginess from Pecorino Romano really are a match made in heaven. My cacio e pepe recipe adds butter as well to give the sauce a smooth, glossy texture, that can be hard to do otherwise with just pasta water and cheese.

What is cacio e pepe sauce made of? ›

Traditionally, cacio e pepe (pronounced: kaa-chee-ow ee peh-pay) is made with just three ingredients: aged pecorino Romano cheese, freshly ground black pepper, and pasta, usually spaghetti; plus the starchy water from cooking the noodles. You don't have to go to Rome to enjoy cacio e pepe.

What does frico mean in Italian? ›

Frico (in original Friulian language fricò) is a traditional dish of Friuli, a historical region of northeast Italy, consisting mainly of heated cheese and, optionally, other ingredients, such as potatoes. Originally frico was prepared in the impoverished region as a way of recycling cheese rinds.

How to make Cacio e Pepe without clumps? ›

CACIO E PEPE: How to avoid clumping
  1. I used 100% Italian pecorino (mid grade, once Trader Joe's and next time Whole Foods)
  2. Cheese was grated properly on smallest spikey holes on the box grater.
  3. Heat was not to high this 2nd time I was very cautious.
  4. Cornstarch was used as the recipe called for.
Jul 17, 2020

Why Cacio e Pepe is so hard to perfectly execute? ›

But it is extremely hard to execute well because you need to control the heat. The cheese will become stringy if you heat up your pan too much (above 70 °C or 158 °F). I tested all the methods, so you do not need to! Cacio e Pepe is rare in restaurants because it is hard to serve warm without the corn starch trick.

What is cacio e pepe secret? ›

The secret, in addition to the chemical combination of water and Pecorino proteins to obtain a cream without lumps, lies in the flavor: whole peppercorns crushed the same day and plunged into the pan to toast releasing all their pungent aroma; the pasta whisked slowly and in a controlled way to absorb all the taste of ...

Can I use parmesan instead of Pecorino for cacio e pepe? ›

Cheese– Aged Pecorino Romano is a MUST when making Cacio e Pepe. It is made from sheep's milk and has a strong and tangy flavor. I also use Parmesan cheese because I like the flavor of the two cheeses together. If you want to use ALL Pecorino Romano, you can, but personally I like the mix of both cheeses.

What pasta shape is best for cacio e pepe? ›

Spaghetti: Cacio e Pepe is traditionally made with some kind of long pasta (noodle); I like to use spaghetti but I've also seen it with bucatini, linguine, fettuccine, and even tagliatelle. You can use either dry or fresh pasta.

What are the ingredients in Trader Joe's cacio e pepe? ›

Ingredients. Water, pecorino romano cheese (sheep's milk, sea salt, animal rennet), sunflower seed oil, modified cornstarch, ground black pepper, sodium citrate, xanthan gum, sea salt.

Why is my cacio e pepe stringy? ›

That said, as simple as the cacio e pepe ingredient list may be, this dish is famously finicky when it comes to technique. If the cheese is overheated or the starchy pasta water isn't emulsified properly, the sauce can turn into a sticky, clumpy mess, which I can vouch from experience is always such a tragedy.

What is a fun fact about cacio e pepe? ›

Cacio e pepe means 'cheese and pepper' in several central Italian dialects. In keeping with its name, the dish contains grated pecorino romano and black pepper, together with tonnarelli or spaghetti. All the ingredients keep well for a long time, which made the dish practical for shepherds without fixed abode.

What is Italian slang for trashy? ›

en. trashy = schifoso.

What do Italians call cents? ›

Centesimo (Italian: centesimo; pl. : centesimi; Spanish: centésimo; pl. : centésimos) is a currency unit equivalent to cent, derived from the Latin centesimus meaning "hundredth".

What are sandwiches called in Italian? ›

Panini is an Italian word, the plural form of panino, and are Italian sandwiches. Panini are usually prepared on a bread roll or rustic bread.

How to prevent cheese from clumping in pasta? ›

Adding the sauce slowly, bit-by-bit, as you stir the liquid and pasta in your pot will make the cheese melt evenly and avoid clumping. Think of it like this: Would you have more success carrying 500 pounds of pasta up the stairs at once, or making multiple trips with a fraction of that 500 pounds at a time?

How do you Unclump cheese in pasta sauce? ›

And if it still clumps because you added the cheese too fast, you can add something acidic, like a little white wine or lemon juice. Whisk well and the clumps should dissolve.

How do you keep cheese from separating in sauce? ›

For a cheese dip or sauce, the addition of cornstarch serves a similar function: Starch molecules absorb water and expand, not only thickening the liquid phase of the sauce, but also physically preventing the proteins from binding into long, tangled strands and the fats from separating out and pooling.

How do you keep melted cheese from clumping? ›

Cheese Sauce, Take 1: Cornstarch, Stovetop

He recommends tossing the shredded cheese with the cornstarch before cooking so it is evenly dispersed and does not form clumps when cooked. The resulting sauce from his recipe is beautifully pourable and delicious.

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