I have been attempting to make this roughly once per week in an attempt to get it right (and, if it ever does work, will write the method down as per Thom's advice on methodology). I am having disaster after disaster and cannot quite identify how best to emulsify the pecorino and what I am doing wrong. I have trawled through google but would appreciate any suggestions for success that may be offered here.
The first time I made it - it was absolutely perfect! I simply added grated pecorino (and black pepper) to just-cooked spaghetti, then some retained pasta water, and beginner's luck with the approach and the temperatures involved. Since then, after a few subsequent failures, I may now have overthought things.
Failures include:
- Added the grated pecorino to the pasta in the saucepan that I had used to cook the pasta, and some retained starchy water - too hot (I assume);
- Cooled the cooking saucepan a bit in a large bowl of water before returning drained pasta and adding grated pecorino and some retained starchy water- too cold (another assumption);
- Used a warmed china bowl to which I added drained pasta and grated pecorino and some retained starchy water - did it twice, once too hot, once too cold
- Followed google suggestions: made a cold roux-type paste of the pecorino with cold water before adding to a
pan and adding pasta a water. Massive failure
- Make the cheese-water sauce separately. Clumps
Last night, I added some cold water to the grated pecorino before adding this to the cooked pasta, thinking that this might avoid it getting too hot. It still clumped. However, after proclaiming that I had finally given up, and leaving the saucepan on a still-hot (but turned off) ring with no agitation at all (well, none in the saucepan; plenty within me), when I returned to it a few minutes later and gave it a stir, it was much better, and the clumping had almost resolved (good but not perfect). This goes against the wisdom on clumps having been formed by overheating and separation of protein and fat, so I assume that the clumping in this and perhaps earlier cases may have been from insufficient heat and that the clumping wasn't separation of protein and fat, from which I understand there is no retuning (or is there?)
It's lovely when you get it right, and it surely can't be that hard as so many trattoria seem to serve it perfectly and effortlessly.
Any "fool-proof" tips from those who get it right?
Does age/dryness of the pecorino influence things much?
