Carnaroli risotto finished with aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino, abundant cracked pepper and a few drops of traditional Modenese balsamic.
⭐Inspired by Massimo Bottura · 🇮🇹 ItalyThis dish riffs on Massimo Bottura's love of layering Modenese ingredients onto Italian classics. Cacio e pepe is Roman by birth — pasta, Pecorino and pepper — but Bottura's Emilian sensibility nudges it toward a creamier, more layered profile, finished with a few drops of aged balsamico tradizionale di Modena. The result is rooted in tradition (cacio, pepe) but unmistakably Modenese in finish.
Serves 4
Toast the cracked pepper in a dry pan for 30 seconds until fragrant. Set aside half for finishing.
Melt 30g butter and sweat the shallot over medium heat for 4 minutes.
Add the rice and toast 90 seconds, stirring, until each grain is glossy.
Pour in the wine and stir until absorbed.
Add the hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring, waiting for absorption between additions. Cook 16-18 minutes until al dente.
Off the heat, beat in the remaining 30g butter, half the Parmigiano, half the Pecorino and the toasted pepper. Beat vigorously for 60 seconds until creamy and 'wave-like'.
Spread on warm plates. Top with the remaining cheeses, the rest of the pepper, and a few drops of aged balsamic — never more than 1/2 teaspoon per plate.
Cracked (not ground) pepper — the texture is a feature, not a flaw.
True aged balsamic (DOP) is essential; supermarket vinegar will overwhelm.
Two cheeses give two textures — Parmigiano grates fine, Pecorino sharper.
Classic Roman: skip the balsamic finish — just cacio and pepe.
Truffle Variant: shave fresh black truffle over the top in season.
Cannot be stored — eat immediately.
Cacio e pepe is a 19th-century Roman shepherd's dish. Bottura's reframing through Modenese balsamic is a cross-regional move characteristic of his career — preserving fire, not ashes.
Aged balsamico tradizionale di Modena (DOP, aged 12-25 years) is — used in tiny amounts as a finishing drop, not a sauce. Regular supermarket balsamic glaze is much sweeter and would unbalance the dish.
Parmigiano-Reggiano gives nuttiness and creaminess; Pecorino Romano gives sharpness and salt. Using only one flattens the flavour. Bottura emphasises the layering of two aged cheeses constantly.
A Lambrusco di Sorbara — Modena's local sparkling red — is the canonical pairing. For non-sparkling, a young Sangiovese.
Per serving (320g / 11.3 oz) · 4 servings total
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