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Cacio e Pepe (aka Cheese & Pepper)!
One of the simplest, most elegant, deliciously indulgent and ultra-comforting classic spaghetti preparations – Cacio e Pepe! Aka Cheese & Pepper! The sauce is cheesy (pecorino & parmesan, to be exact), silky, velvety, slightly spicy... think grown up mac n’ cheese – but in a little black (pepper) dress. Please do yourself a favor and get some pasta and cheese, crack that pepper, and make this tonight!
Cacio e Pepe
Ingredients:
Pasta (linguine or spaghetti)
1 tbsp freshly cracked pepper
2 tbsp cold unsalted butter
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely grated Pecorino
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
Parmesan cheese, cubed (to scatter at the bottom of your pasta bowl so you get melting little gems to sink your teeth into!)
Sea salt and additional freshly cracked pepper
Instructions:
•Fill a large pot half way with water and a generous few pinches of salt and bring to a boil – the water should taste like the sea so your pasta will be nice and flavorful. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes less than package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water in a heat-safe cup before draining the pasta. *It is helpful to have as little water as possible to just cover and cook the pasta for this preparation since you will use the starchy pasta water to build up an ultra-velvety sauce.
•Meanwhile, add cracked pepper to a large skillet and toast over medium heat, swirling regularly until fragrant, about 1 minute – it should smell ultra green, bright and peppery, not burnt. Add 1/3 cup of the pasta water to stop the toasting process and start to build the sauce. Turn off the heat, and add butter and olive oil to the skillet and swirl to combine off the heat to let the hot liquid cool down a bit before adding in the cheese to prevent clumping/stringiness.
•Once the sauce has cooled a bit, start to whisk in the pecorino & Parmesan cheese little by little. Slowly add a bit more of the reserved pasta water to help loosen the sauce and continue melting the cheese. Whisk until cheese has melted and sauce is thick and velvety.
•Over medium-low heat, add pasta to the skillet. (Add a splash more pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Stir and toss with tongs to coat the pasta with the sauce and finish the cooking process as the sauce flavors and coats the noodles in silky, cheesy, peppery glory.
•Add cubed Parmesan cheese to bottom of serving bowls. Transfer portions of pasta to each bowls, top with a sprinkle more cheese, cracked pepper, and some flaky salt if you have it , and mangia!!! You will discover these melting little gems of cubed parmesan as you work your way through the pasta – like a treasure hunt, but better.
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