I love this dish. I admit that my love for it is wrapped up in a memory of a trip to Italy. Gabe and I were staying with a friend of his mother's in Trastevere, a neighborhood in Rome with twisting narrow streets and ancient buildings. We went to dinner one night with our hostess, Ciu Ciu. In an alley near her house we approached one of those old stone buildings. She entered, and the next thing we knew, the door was thrown open, tables and chairs were being carried out of the door into the alley, and we were being seated. It was an instant neighborhood restaurant, and it was fascinating to watch it materialize in an alley that we had passed through several times without any hint of what lay behind closed doors.
I ordered this traditional Roman pasta dish and, although it is made with only a few ingredients, it is superb. The tangy pecorino romano is the perfect complement to the heat of the black pepper. At its essence it is pasta with parmesan, the favorite of many children. But mix in an additional cheese, add some pepper, and you have an entirely different and much more complex dish that appeals to adults as well.
I usually add some pepper into the pasta with the cheese, but try not to overdo it so that I don't overwhelm the children. Then I add lots more onto the adult plates. Because it has so few ingredients, its flavor is best if you use the highest quality ingredients you can find: a true pecorino romano, high quality pasta, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. And while you're eating it, picture yourself in a restaurant tucked into an alley in Rome. These photos may help.
Cacio e Pepe
Serves 6
25 minutes preparation and cooking time
2 cups grated pecorino romano
1 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
Set a large pot of water to boil. Meanwhile grate the cheeses and cut the butter. When the water boils, generously salt it and add the pasta. Cook the pasta to your desired degree of tenderness. I usually find that one minute less than the package directions is enough to make the pasta nicely al dente.
Before you drain the pasta, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and set it aside. Drain the pasta and toss it immediately with the cheeses, butter, and the black pepper. If you would like the cheese a bit saucy, add the pasta water a tablespoon or two at a time and mix it in (if you add too much at once, the cheese tends to form large clumps). Add more black pepper at the table, if desired.
Comments