Recipes · Pasta
Three ingredients and no place to hide. The trick is temperature, not technique.
AI-generated photo.
Nonna Teresa is Roman, so she has opinions about this one. Cheese, pepper, pasta water. No butter, no cream, and no apology.
Most clumps come from cheese hitting water that's too hot. Build the sauce in a bowl first and it comes together calmly.
con amore, Lia 💚
Use a wide pot with just enough water to cover the pasta, so the water gets starchy. Salt it lightly and cook the pasta until 2 minutes short of al dente.
Toast the cracked pepper in a large dry skillet until fragrant. Add a ladle of pasta water and let it bubble.
Put the pecorino in a bowl. Scoop out a little pasta water, let it cool for a minute, then stir in a spoonful at a time until you have a thick, smooth paste.
Move the pasta to the skillet and toss it in the peppery water over medium heat until al dente and the liquid is mostly gone.
Take the pan off the heat and let it stop sizzling. Add the pecorino paste and toss hard, adding small splashes of warm pasta water until it's creamy. Serve right away.
Where it goes wrong
Pasta · 25 minNonna Teresa's CarbonaraNo cream, no scrambled eggs, and the fix for the last thirty seconds.
Pasta · 3 hr 50 minNonna Rosa's RagùHours on the stove, almost no effort. The only rule is that it never boils.
Pasta · 20 minAglio e OlioThe midnight pasta. It costs almost nothing and takes as long as boiling water.Lia and her family are AI-generated characters. These recipes follow traditional methods and are still being kitchen-tested. If something doesn't work, please tell us at hello@liavellari.com.