Prep and cook time 15 min
Here is Italy’s answer to mac and cheese.
We are very fortunate to live within walking distance of 15 restaurants in Washington DC’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. One of them is Rose’s Luxury a casual, one Michelin star restaurant that is an absolute must if you are visiting the city.
I recently had their Cacio e Pepe. Cacio is the Roman dialect word for Pecorino Romano, a sheep’s-milk cheese and “Pepe” is pepper. You must admit that saying “Cacio e Pepe “ especially when you pronounce it with an Italian accent is much more alluring than “Mac and cheese”.
When cooked right it is absolutely delicious and this simple three-ingredient spaghetti sauce is so quick and easy that I had to include it as a gourmet quickie. Pasta is tossed with a rich emulsified sauce (without butter) loaded with rich Pecorino or Parmesan cheese and black pepper and bound by the pasta’s cooking water.
It’s the kind of dish that works for a quick lunch, dinner or even as a late night snack.
Cacio E Pepe
by
Derek Farwagi
Equipment
- A saucepan to boil the water, a 10” or larger frying pan to emulsify the butter with the pasta.
Ingredients
- Bucatini pasta (linguini or spaghetti works too).
- 1 tsp Black pepper freshly ground and coarse
- ½ cup Water reserved from cooking pasta
- ½ cup Pecorino romano cheese freshly grated and divided, 1 tbsp for garnish ( Parmesan work too).
- 4 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Bring 6-7 cups of water and add pasta in – cook the pasta to direction (typically about 8 to 10 minutes for al dente texture)
- As the pasta cooks, separate the strands to avoid clumping.Grate cheese and set aside.
- About two minutes before the pasta is cooked, heat the frying pan with a half a cup of pasta water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta (don’t drain it) to the frying pan, raise heat to high and with tongs or a fork, vigorously blend in the butter 2 tbsp at a time. Keep stirring until the emulsified liquid starts to thicken.Test pasta for doneness.
- When pasta is done, Remove from the fire, add the 1/2 cup of cheese and a couple of twists of the pepper grinder and blend well.
- Serve, dress with a little more cheese, salt to taste and enjoy.
Notes
Jacquie Wise
Derek, you’ve given me a great way to cure those hunger pangs and yet still feel as if I’ve been to a five-star restaurant! Jacquie