Cacio e pepe spaghetti with shrimps

To prepare cacio e pepe spaghetti with shrimps, start by cleaning the shrimps. Remove the head 1, the shell 2 and remove the black vein by hand 3, or with a toothpick.

Don't discard the shrimp scraps 4 because you'll need them for the fumet. Peel an onion and cut it into four pieces 5; thinly slice the leek, after removing the tip and green parts. Melt the butter in a large pan, only add the onion when fully melted 6.

Brown for a minute and then add the leek 7 and the garlic 8. Coax out the flavors for a few minutes 9.

Add the crustacean shells 10 and brown for a couple of minutes on high heat, stirring occasionally 11. Add the white wine, simmer and reduce 12.

Once the alcohol has evaporated, add the water 13, covering the shells.?Add the parsley 14 and peppercorns 15.

Season with salt 16, without adding too much because the resulting fumet is already quite salty, lower the heat and gently simmer for at least 60 minutes. While cooking, skim the froth from the fumet using a skewer 17, be sure to rinse it each time to remove any residue. As the fumet simmers away 18 you can prepare the shrimps.

Start by crushing the pink peppercorns with the blade of a knife 19. Now coarsely chop the shrimps 20. Place them in a bowl and season with the rind of half a lime 21.

Add the juice of one lime 22, the pink peppercorns 23, a pinch of salt and a drizzle of oil. Now stir thoroughly 24.

Cover with plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator 25. Take the black peppercorns, place them on a cutting board and crush them with a meat tenderizer 26. Once the time is up, the fumet will have halved in volume 27.

Filter with a fine mesh colander and try to recover as much liquid as possible 28. Discard the shells and your crustacean fumet is now ready for use. Add enough water 29 to cook the spaghetti. Bring back to the boil and add the pasta 30.

Place the crushed peppercorns in a large non-stick pan, toast on low heat and stir with a wooden spoon 31. Add a couple of ladles of pasta cooking water, simmer and reduce 32. The starch in the water will cause bubbles to form 33.

Drain the spaghetti when still very firm to the bite, keep the cooking water hot; add the pasta directly to the pan with the toasted pepper 34 and cook with the condiment. Stir the pasta continuously with some cooking tongs and add one or two ladles of water 35 as required, to create a creamy sauce that envelops the spaghetti. Only add water if required. As the pasta finishes cooking, prepare the Pecorino cream, do not start this step earlier as it would thicken too much. Place around half of the Pecorino in a bowl and add a ladle of pasta cooking water 36.

Beat energetically with a whisk 37 and add water as required. Now add the remaining amount of Pecorino, save a little to season later. Add a little more water as required: during this step it is important to effectively balance the Pecorino and water to obtain a cream with the right consistency and free from lumps. Once the pasta is fully cooked, add a little more hot water if necessary; before adding the Pecorino cream, briefly stir the cream, placing the bowl over the saucepan with the hot water; use a whisk to stir it while over the steam, to bring the cream to a temperature similar to that of the pasta 38. As soon as the pasta is ready, remove from the heat and add the Pecorino cream 39.

Stir with some cooking tongs and add the Pecorino you kept to one side 40. Continue stirring until the spaghetti is enveloped by the cream. Now twirl the spaghetti into a nest 41 and arrange on a plate 42.

Add a few shrimps 43, a little lime zest 44 and serve immediately 45.