Cacio e Pepe
Literally translating to Cheese and Pepper, this humble yet oh-so decadent pasta can be whipped up with just a handful of staple pantry ingredients. Serve it hot off the stove with a crack more of black pepper and a drizzle of truffle oil.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- pasta (proportioned for two people)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 cup pecorino (or Parmigiano Reggiano / parmesan)
- truffle oil (optional, for drizzling on top)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water. Reserve ¾ cup of the cooking water when draining the pasta.
- Melt 1 tbsp butter and oil in a large skillet. Pile on the black pepper and cook until toasted.
- Add ½ cup of reserved pasta water to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Make sure the water is boiling when you pour it in; if it cools before melting the cheese (see the step below), your sauce will be undesirably clumpy.
- Whisk in the remaining butter. Add the pasta and cheese, continuously tossing with tongs until the cheese has melted. You want a creamy sauce (craveably-cheesy and buttery), which coats the pasta consistently. Remember that you can always add more pasta water if the sauce seems too thick or too dry!
- Serve your Cacio e Pepe hot off the skillet, with a dash more of black pepper on top and a good drizzle of truffle oil if you want to dial up the decadence even more!
