Cacio e pepe must be my favorite pasta right now. I eat this Italian staple at least once a week, preferably for lunch. Simple and beautiful. An Italian friend once told me that good pasta is all about the cheese. You can't go wrong if your pasta has good cheese. For cacio e pepe, traditionally, Pecorino Romano cheese is used. The other main ingredient is pepper.
INGREDIENTS
(2 servings)
300g spaghetti (tonnarelli)
100g Pecorino Romano
30 g butter
Fresh grounded Pepper
PREPARATION
Bring a pot with salted water to boil. Cook the spaghetti two minutes less than indicated on the packaging. They will finish cooking in the sauce later.
While the spaghetti cook, grate the cheese and crush the pepper.
Heat up a deep pan and start slowly melting the butter.
Once the butter is liquid, take a cup to transfer some of the starchy paste water into your butter pan. Give it a nice stir and season with pepper.
Add the grated cheese. Wait for the heat to melt the cheese. Starchy water will help to bind the cheese and pepper later the spaghetti.
When the spaghetti are two minutes short of being ready, throw them into the cheesy sauce. Add some more starchy pasta water if needed. Let the spagehtti rest for two minutes. Stir occasionally.
Garnish with extra pecorino and pepper on top.
Buon Appetito!
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