Cacio e Pepe is pasta dish with cheese and black pepper. I got inspired to make this when I was interviewing the chef at Moto Cucina Enoteca and they were making a Cacio e Pepe inspired pizza.

This is such a simple dish but don’t let the minimal ingredients fool you. It’s not as simple of a dish as it sounds. The black pepper and cheese combination comes together with a good chewy pasta to create a fantastic bite.

Pecorino Romano is sharp, salty, tangy sheep’s cheese, different from Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan), which is a cow’s milk cheese, milder, nuttier. Pecorino Romano’s saltiness balances perfectly against a good helping of freshly ground peppercorns.

Cacio e Pepe originates from Rome and would be considered a rustic, comfort food, and you will quite agree upon the first bite. The good news is that it only takes about 12 minutes to make from start to finish. It can be a starter for a dinner party, a side dish, or your quick and delicious lunch or dinner. If you’re daring, top it with a poached egg and have it for breakfast.

You can use regular spaghetti, but I really enjoy this dish with bucatini.  They are hollowed out with a hole running down the middle which picks whatever sauce is used, adding more flavor to the bite.

You have to use the right cheese fresh peppercorns. The Pecorino will do the work for you as far as making this taste outstandingly, authentically Italian.   It balances against really good, freshly ground black pepper.

After the pasta is almost cooked, it is finished off in the frying pan with butter, and black pepper. Starchy pasta water is added in to create Cacio e Pepe’s creaminess.

Now here is where it’s gets complicated. There are supposed to only be three ingredients in Cacio e Pepe, plus the pasta water. This dish is counter intuitive. The creaminess comes from the starchy pasta water mixing with the cheese. Some Italians are very snooty when they see us Americans adding butter or olive oil to the dish. Don’t take that too seriously. I’ve seen recipes that use butter, olive oil or both, but you won’t need to use a lot.

If you are unfamiliar with thick spaghetti that is hollowed out, let me encourage you to play around with it. It bites right, and until you bite into it, you will have no idea what I’m saying. I can get seriously passionate about this kind of pasta, as the texture is so unique, and while it may be an awkward pasta to eat, it’s the star of this dish. The pepper and cheese should be viewed as supporting roles. You can use regular spaghetti, but use the best imported pasta you can find because in a minimalist dish, like Cacio e Pepe, the ingredients make the difference.

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Cacio e Pepe - Bucatini with Cheese and Black Pepper

Simple Thick spaghetti with Pecorino Cheese and Black Pepper make this classic Italian caccio e pepe.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 3/4 bucatini percateli or spaghetti
• salt for pasta water
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper possibly more
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• up to 1/2 cup pasta water
• 3/4 freshly grated pecorino romano

Instructions

• Cook pasta according to directions minus two minutes. Make sure to put a good amount of salt into the boiling water.
• Toast black pepper in dry frying pan to open up the oils.
• Add olive oil and butter.
• Add in 1/4 cup pasta water.
• Add in cooked, drained pasta,
• Toss with Pecorino Romano adding a little at a time.Toss and swirl in the pan.
• Garnish with some more freshly ground black pepper and more cheese

Notes

Makes 4 small servings.
If you don't have a pepper mill, crush peppercorns in a plastic bag with a mallet. Use freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated Pecorino Romano. You can use any kind of spaghetti you prefer, but it should be high quality.

I’m such a fan of pasta without tomato sauce. Here are a few great recipes that are fast and easy to make.

10 Minute Spaghetti with Peas and Bacon

Roasted Fettuccini with Broccoli

Penne Pasta with Brussels Sprouts and Bread Crumbs

The post Cacio e Pepe – Bucatini with Pecorino Romano Cheese and Black Pepper appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

When I ate my first fork full sitting at one of those charming outdoor restaurants in Rome, I was ready to just eat a dish of pasta (the way you eat a grilled cheese), but I remember stopping and saying, “whoa, what’s in this? It looks so very ordinary, and the way I think, I’m already eating tomorrow’s bowl when I haven’t finished todays. I came home and I made it several days in a row with fresh tomatoes and then I forgot about it, because summer was over and I thought this dish HAD to be made with fresh tomatoes. I was so positive that every plate of pasta all’ Amatriciana was made with fresh tomatoes, but now I’m not so sure.

I’m going to ask you to trust me that this is a spectacular sauce. It looks like just another dish of spaghetti. In fact, It looks like that 80’s hit, spaghetti pomodoro, that I don’t much care for as it usually reeks of garlic.

As I followed the instructions to chop canned Italian tomatoes, and drain the juice, I thought I might be disappointed. How wrong I was. There simply are no disappointments when cooking a Marcella recipe. The combination of butter, onion, and tomato is very sweet, made sultry with pancetta, and cut just right with hot pepper.

Retro Rose thought I used FRESH tomatoes. I fooled her.

There were three of us for dinner. Two of us were not very hungry. One whole pound of pasta completely disappeared, and that never happens. We are Italians. We eat good food every day. But, we were jumping up and down (almost) remarking over and over again that this is so good. Retro Rose already took home some of my pancetta and the recipe so she can make it.

So trust me, when Retro Rose gets excited about pasta, it’s a big deal, because she has never counted carbs in her life, and she eats pasta several times a week.

So if you don’t trust me, trust her. She’s been eating pasta for 74 years.

 I googled this sauce to see how others might be preparing this dish. I saw a lot of mistakes. 

I saw garlic.
Please, please do not use garlic in this. It will rob you of sweet onion taste.

I saw olive oil.
I’m not as picky on this, but if you do use olive, also use butter. Even though by the end of the dish you don’t really see butter and onions, you will taste them. They make the dish.

I saw bacon instead of pancetta.
While I can see that pancetta might be more difficult for some to purchase, it delivers a completely different taste than bacon. You can purchase just a small piece for this recipe at deli counters that sell Boars Head, if you don’t have access to an Italian market. Our local Whole Foods actually sells pancetta made here by a local farmer.

I saw canned tomatoes and fresh tomatoes. Good canned tomatoes are better than bad fresh tomatoes.

The Pasta
Bucatini, a thick, hollow spaghetti is the traditional pasta used in this dish. It’s the perfect pasta to cook al dente, and add a thick, dicey sauce must especially blanket a pasta with a bite to it. I have never once experienced a true al dente pasta in an Italian restaurant in America. But, that is all you get in Italy, and it’s so much more al dente than you might think. Keep in mind that pasta continues to cook once you strain it. If you think your “al dente”needs another minute, it’s done.

Normally, I have at least 2 pounds on hand, but just when I need it, my Italian market is out of it until late November. I use De Cecco kamut spaghetti. I love this pasta, find it meaty and, while it is NOT gluten free, it’s a great choice for those with wheat sensitivity.

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Cooking Italy - Pasta all’ Amatriciana, Not Just Another Dish of Spaghetti

I had Pasta all'Amatriciana in Rome, and this recipe is just as good.

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 ”slice pancetta cut into 1”strips (1/2”wide)
• 1 1/2 cups Italian tomatoes diced,drained of juice
• 1/2 small dried hot chili pepper or 1 t chile pepper flakes or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or taste
• 1 pound pasta
• 1 tablespoon Pecorino cheese freshly grated
• 3 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano freshly grated

Instructions

• Saute onion in oil and butter on medium until it's pale softened, almost golden. Add pancetta, cooking for about 2-3 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, chili pepper, salt and simmer for 25 minutes. Taste and correct for salt and pepper.
• Toss pasta with sauce then add both cheeses.

Recipe for filling adapted from Marcella Hazan’sEssentials of Classical Cooking

The post Cooking Italy – Pasta all’ Amatriciana, Not Just Another Dish of Spaghetti appeared first on Spinach Tiger.