Cinque Pi

Ingredients

• 800 g pasta
• 4 dl cream
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• parmigiano
• parsley
• pepper

Method

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil and add the pasta. This is a cream-based-sauces dish, which means your sauce needs to be finished just as the pasta hits the pan — timing here is critical.

While the pasta cooks, pour the cream into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Once it breaks a gentle simmer, whisk in the tomato paste thoroughly to distribute the acidity evenly. The acid will begin to break down the cream's fat globules, so stir constantly for about a minute. This isn't decorative — you're preventing the cream from splitting and ensuring the tomato flavour integrates rather than sitting in grainy pockets. Now add the parmigiano, grated finely. Start with 60 grams and keep adding in small handfuls, stirring between additions. The cheese's casein proteins will bind to the fat in the cream through the gentle heat, creating a silky emulsion. Stop when you've got a flavour-forward sauce that coats the back of a spoon — usually around 100–120 grams total, depending on how assertive your cheese is. Drop the heat to the lowest setting. The sauce should barely move on the surface.

When the pasta is about two minutes away from al dente (taste it), reserve a mug of cooking water, then drain thoroughly. Add the hot pasta directly to the cream sauce off the heat. This is the critical manoeuvre: cold or even warm pasta will shock the emulsion and cause it to break. Toss gently for 30 seconds, then begin adding pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce reaches the consistency of double cream — it should flow but not slick the plate. The starch in the water will help stabilise the italian-cuisine emulsion and make the sauce cling.

Finish with freshly milled black pepper and a good handful of chopped parsley stirred through. Serve immediately in warmed bowls with additional grated parmigiano on the side. The dish falls apart quickly as the emulsion cools, so work fast from sauce to table.