Cacio e Pepe
Since I always keep pasta and cheese on hand, this is my standard late-night meal enjoyed with a vibrant, fun red wine or a light beer. My advice regarding this classic dish is that cacio e pepe means “cheese and pepper”; in other words, pepper is a main ingredient. Don’t take the pepper lightly—even the coarsest setting on your pepper mill will be too fine.
Ingrediënten
- Serves 4
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 pound bucatini bigoli, or spaghetti
- 3 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano
- 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructies
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil on high heat.
- Once the water is boiling, add salt to taste.
- Meanwhile, coarsely crush the peppercorns using a mortar and pestle.
- If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, set the peppercorns on a sturdy cutting board.
- Using the bottom edge of a pot, forcefully press down and forward on the peppercorns until each corn is crushed.
- Don’t be afraid to be aggressive.
- Both methods will yield peppercorns of all different sizes: a necessary quality of any good cacio e pepe.
- Cook the pasta in the salted water according to the package directions to just before al dente.
- It should be slightly underdone, as the pasta will continue to cook after it’s drained.
- While the pasta is boiling, stir the cheeses together in a large bowl until combined.
- Ladle ½ cup of the boiling pasta water into the cheese and stir gently to form a paste.
- Meanwhile, in a pot large enough to hold the pasta on low heat, stir together the olive oil and crushed peppercorns.
- Once fragrant, add 2 tablespoons of the boiling pasta water and stir to combine.
- Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside.
- Drain the pasta and use tongs to gradually add the pasta to the pot with the olive oil and peppercorns.
- Stir vigorously while you add the pasta until it’s coated in the oil and pepper.
- Add the cheese paste and stir, keeping the heat on low, until the pasta is cooked to al dente and the sauce is creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the reserved pasta water to thin out as necessary.
- Add a pinch of salt to taste, but be conservative: the pasta will be salty from its cooking water and the natural saltiness of the cheeses.
- Serve.
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