Three ingredients, three steps to a speedy midweek supper of trendy cacio e pepe (‘cheese and pepper’). Tangy pecorino cheese combines with the pasta cooking water to make a creamy sauce that clings to the pasta.

More pecorino recipes

Pecorino Romano is the most common type of pecorino. Fiore Sardo is a variety of pecorino from Sardinia, made using a rennet derived from wild flowers. The aromatic Pecorino delle Crete Senesi comes from Tuscany, and is coated with tomato paste; Pecorino Toscano is a milder, tomato-less version. Pecorino Siciliano Canestrato comes in various forms, including the fresh Tuma, a half-ripened version (called Primusali), and a mature one suitable for grating. Pecorino dolce is a lightly salted example of the cheese, and is usually eaten fresh.

Aged pecorinos are suitable for grating over pasta, soups and other hot dishes.

More pecorino recipes

Honey mustard chicken with griddled Little Gem and potatoes

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Baked oysters with sautéed potatoes and seaweed salad

Wild garlic pesto

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Pasta with purple sprouting broccoli

Chicken with pesto

One-pan pastitsio

Sausage, fennel and pecorino conchiglie

Cacio e pepe with fritto misto and stuffed courgette flowers

Frying-pan flatbread, pecorino, mortadella ham, chilli honey and pistachios

Aubergine parmigiana

Greek pulled duck burger with apple and peach slaw

Broccoli salad

Garlic and rosemary chicken with summer ratatouille

Foolproof spaghetti carbonara

Gnocchi primavera with grilled tuna and confit lemon

Mafalda carbonara with shaved fennel salad, lemon and bottarga

Rigatoni with spinach, pecorino and anchovy sauce

Chard and cheese dumplings (strozzapreti)

Budget spaghetti carbonara

Family spaghetti cacio e pepe

Baked roast garlic and cheese sourdough with tomato relish

Air fryer sausage and bean casserole

Buyer's guide

Preparation

Other cheese

Brie

Burrata

Caerphilly

Camembert

Cheddar

Cheshire cheese

Cottage cheese

Cream cheese

Curd

Danish blue

Dolcelatte

Double Gloucester

Edam

Emmental

Feta

Fontina cheese

Fromage frais

Goats' cheese

Gorgonzola

Gouda

Gruyère

Halloumi

Lancashire cheese

Manchego

Mascarpone

Mozzarella

Paneer

Parmesan

Quark

Red Leicester

Ricotta

Roquefort

Smoked cheese

Stilton

Vacherin

Wensleydale

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