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.

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.