Skip to main content

Cacio e Pepe

Welcome back! 
Today, we have the first in the series of four Roman pastas: Cacio e Pepe! Cacio e pepe is an amazingly simple yet flavorful pasta that we will use to introduce the common techniques found in these four pastas. The sauce is really just comprised of a few things: black pepper, cheese - specifically Pecorino Romano - and an oil to cook the pepper in. Because of the simplicity, it's important to use good ingredients and not cut corners in order to take it to the next level (instead of just being like a glorified mac and cheese).

Cacio e Pepe

Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 12 ounces pasta (tonnarelli is traditionally used)
  • 4 tablespoons butter (or olive oil, or even a combination of the two)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (use whole peppercorns)
  • 3 ounces Pecorino Romano, grated
  • Don't forget to save some pasta water! You'll need about 1/2 of a cup.

Directions:

  1. In a pan, toast the the whole black peppercorns. Once the pepper flavor comes out, take this off the heat.
  2. Crush the black pepper, preferably using a mortar and pestle, but not too finely.
  3. Cook the pasta in a pot of water with a teaspoon of salt, per the instructions on the pasta packaging.
  4. When the pasta is about halfway done, heat the butter in the pan and mix in the crushed pepper.
  5. About 2 minutes before the pasta is al dente, transfer the pasta into the pan in order to integrate with the sauce and finish cooking. Also add in about 1/2 cup of pasta water into the pan.
  6. Add the cheese in once the pasta is almost done. Mix this in thoroughly.
  7. Serve and garnish with some more grated pecorino and ground pepper.
The ingredients for this dish are so simple, but you're not so likely to have the specified pasta or cheese laying around. Tonnarelli is a spaghetti-like pasta that is distinguished by its square cut and is more traditional, but it doesn't make too much of a difference to substitute with normal spaghetti. Pecorino Romano is more of a crucial ingredient, being a hard, salty, sheep's cheese. The texture is reminiscent of Parmigiano, but the flavor is very distinct.

-Chefpo
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tiramisu

Welcome back to Chez Chefpo!  Today, we've got a classic Italian dessert: Tiramisu! No twists on this one, this is your classic tiramisu that's about as traditional as it gets. In fact, it's truly comparable to the authentic tiramisu that you could find in Italy (more about this below)! While this is not the cheapest recipe, it is actually pretty easy and is definitely worth making because it is veramente delicioso! Tiramisu Makes one 7" by 9" pan Ingredients: Cream: 4 egg yolks 50 grams sugar 16 ounces Mascarpone cheese (preferably room temperature) 200 grams heavy whipping cream 2-3 tablespoons Kahlua* Coffee Mixture: 120 mL cooled espresso (if you don't have this, 2 tablespoons of espresso powder plus 120 mL of hot water will do) 2-3 tablespoons Kahlua* You will also need: 1 package, or about 24, lady fingers Cocoa powder to be dusted onto the top *If you don't have Kahlua, you can just use rum.  Here's a reference for some of the more special ingre...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Welcome back!  Today, we have a recipe for the most iconic cookie ever: Chocolate Chip Cookies! Loaded with smooth chocolate, these cookies are an absolute treat that everyone is sure to love. Plus, this recipe's pretty easy to whip up quickly, so it's super convenient when you need to prepare something for a party or if you just want some indulgent snacks.  Chocolate Chip Cookies Makes 18 cookies Ingredients: 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened 100 grams white sugar 75 grams brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large egg 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon baking powder (optional) 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 6 ounces chocolate chips or chunks Directions: In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the white and brown sugar. Add in the vanilla extract and egg and mix. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt into the wet mixture. Mix this together, but don't overmix! Add the chocolate chips or chunks and mix. Let the cooki...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fig Crème Fraîche Cake

Welcome back!  Today, we have a cake featuring an interesting fruit: the fig! Figs are typically eaten dried or in some processed form because they don't stay fresh for long, so making this dish out of fresh figs was quite nice. Once completed, the fig flavor blends in very well with the rest of the cake and creates a dessert that is flavorful but not overly rich. Fig Crème Fraîche Cake Makes a 9" cake Ingredients: 1/2 pound figs, quartered (if you have big figs, maybe 6-8 slices) 120 grams cake flour 50 grams almond flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 50 grams sugar 60 grams honey 120 grams crème fraîche 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier 1/2 cup melted butter Directions: In a bowl, sift in the dry ingredients (cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt). Mix this together. In another bowl, put in the sugar, honey, and crème fraîche, and mix them together.  One add a time, add the eggs and mix thoroughly. Add in the vanilla ...
Post a Comment
Read more