Or, as my son calls it, catch me pepe. Literal translation: cheese and pepper. This Roman pasta dish's roots are peasant food and it is very, very easy and very, very cheap. Anyone will tell you that this dish is not reinventing the wheel, it's just plain good.
Cacio e Pepe is a perfect weeknight dinner, so quick and simple, the only time it takes is the time for the pasta to cook! When I am utterly exhausted and can't wait for delivery or fathom processed foods this is what I make. If you have kids, get them in on it too. My son loves cooking this dish but he loves eating it more!
Cacio e Pepe
Ingredients:
1 lb of long pasta. Please use the best quality pasta that you can find. Fresh is best!
1 cup of freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup of freshly cracked black pepper. You can do this in a coffee grinder or put kernels in a sandwich bag and smash them with something!
1 cup of reserved pasta water
1 large nob of butter
Preperation:
Boil the pasta in salted water to al dente. Once cooked, drain but keep it as wet as possible. Return the pasta to the empty hot pot and add the butter, half the reserved pasta water, the cheese and pepper. Stir together adding more water if necessary.
Serve this creamy concoction immediately with a sprinkle of finely chopped flat leaf parsley. I like to also add a squirt of lemon to mine but I don't know how the purists would react to that!
