cacio e pepe pasta

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02.14.2011

cacio e pepe pasta

Cacio e pepe pasta we had for lunch one sunny spring day in Rome, 2008

I get irrational cravings from time to time. This past weekend, it was for penne cacio e pepe, an incredibly simple pasta we had in Rome back in 2008. My friend Meredith, the hubby (although he was just the boyfriend at the time) and I stumbled to the most pleasant little eatery recommended by our friends, and we spent an afternoon lazing around in the sun and carbo-loading with delicious Roman pastas. Cacio e pepe was one of my surprise favorites. Made of just three ingredients — dried penne pasta, shaved pecorino romano cheese, and coarsely ground pepper, there was something very earthy and satisfying about this combination.

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It just so happened that we have a hunk of pecorino sitting in our refrigerator, and so I set about trying to duplicate cacio e pepe for lunch. While a third of a package of spaghetti boiled, I grated half a cup of pecorino into a bowl with a tablespoon and a half of ground black pepper into a small bowl. Right before draining the pasta out of the pot, I reserved about a cup of the cooking water. After I drained the pasta, I tossed it into the bowl of pecorino and black pepper and swirled it around with a few tablespoons of my cooking water, letting the cheese melt. I topped my dish with more grated pecorino and sat down to eat it immediately.

Along with a simple green salad, it was a nice little lunch, and an incredibly easy one, to boot.