Cacio e Pepe
Italy
In my many years of traveling Italy, I have learned that the best food is normally made of very simple ingredients with an emphasis on quality. Cacio e Pepe is my favorite pasta dish in Italy and it is a staple every time I go to Rome. It has only 3 main ingredients, pasta, pecorino cheese, and black pepper. Fortunately, this is also easy to make at home and you can entertain your friends and family with an authentic Italian pasta dish that is sure to be a hit!
Jeff Davis - Founder/President ActivSport Travel
Ingredients:
1/2 pound (about 225 grams) of high quality, artisanal spaghetti
3/4 Tablespoon wild black peppercorns (adjust to taste depending on the assertiveness of the pepper)
1 1/4 cups (about 0.25 pounds) Pecorino Romano cheese, plus 2 pieces of Pecorino rind (more for decoration so you can skip the rind)
3 quarts of water seasoned with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
Instructions:
Prepare your mise en place (the French world for having all your ingredients prepped and measured) in advance. Crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle. (If you do not have a mortar and pestle, use the bottom of a saucepan to crush them on a chopping board.) Grate the Pecorino with a grater.
Bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil and season with the salt
Once the water is boiling, add the spaghetti. Stir gently to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
While cooking the pasta, toast 1/2 T of pepper in a separate pan over low heat until aromatic, about 1 minute. Be careful not to burn the pepper.
Remove the pan with from the heat, and gently add 2 to 3 ladlefuls of starchy pasta water to the pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the cheese crusts and simmer.
When the spaghetti is half-cooked (after about six minutes), transfer it to the pan with the peppercorns and starchy pasta water, reserving the remaining cooking water. Transfer another ladleful of water to the pan.
After a few more minutes, remove the Pecorino rinds, and place them in a non-stick pan over medium heat to toast on both sides. When nicely toasted, remove and set aside.
Continue cooking the spaghetti until two minutes before al dente. Turn off the heat and allow the pasta to rest; there should be a bit of cooking water left in the pan.
After a minute off the heat, begin adding the grated cheese to the pasta from above, shaking the pan all the while to coat evenly. Add cooking water as needed to help the sauce bind; the sauce will thicken as the pasta sets.
Serve the pasta in a warmed dish. Top with the remaining pepper and a little bit of freshly grated Pecorino. Finely slice the toasted Pecorino rinds and sprinkle on top.
