On a recent CBS Sunday Morning episode, there was a segment demonstrating how this Italian classic is made. If adhering to the authentic Italian recipe, the ingredients are salted water, freshly ground black pepper, and Pecorino Romano.
Without Ancestry.com, I can neither confirm nor deny any Italian roots, but let’s just say I don’t have any. Therefore, I’m taking liberties by adding a bit of olive oil and butter without my Nona chastising me. And just to put some Italians over the edge, I also added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the finished pasta and enjoyed it with sautéed shrimp.
Though few, quality ingredients are a must!
The chef on the segment used an immersion blender to mix a bit of pasta water to the cheese and pepper before adding it to the pasta. However, doing this would prevent the ability to “bloom” the pepper, which I find adds substantial flavor.
In addition, somewhere along the way I ran across the suggestion that two pans be used; one for cooking the pasta and the other to finish the cooking. The reason is that generally, the pan that is used to cook the pasta is too hot and therefore the cheese will likely seize up instead of melt properly. I took that suggestion, and the finished dish was perfect.
*Since I added shrimp; I heated a tablespoon each of olive oil and butter in the skillet and sautéed 8 large peeled and deveined shrimp just until cooked through. After cooking, I set the shrimp aside on a plate, and proceeded with the recipe below.
The shrimp and “bloomed” pepper.
Cook the pasta in as little water as possible.
Serves 2
3 tablespoons (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste, divided
2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, or to taste
1 ½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, divided or to taste
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ pound (225g) spaghetti
2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese (about 1 cup; 55g), very finely grated on a Microplane or the smallest holes of a box grater, plus more for serving
Juice from ½ a lemon
*Place a medium skillet (I used a 10-inch, non-stick) over medium-low heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add about a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper and allow the pepper to bloom, becoming fragrant and barely start to sizzle, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.
In a large skillet, add about 2 inches of water and salt and allow water to come to a boil. Add spaghetti and occasionally jiggle with a fork or a pair of tongs to prevent the pasta from sticking together. (Cooking the pasta using a little water as possible concentrates the starch, which helps thicken the sauce when the pasta water is added later.) Cook until spaghetti is al dente (typically about 1 minute less than the package recommends). Transfer 2 to 3 tablespoons of pasta cooking water to the skillet with the olive oil/butter/pepper mixture. Return the skillet to medium low heat and stir in any remaining butter. Using tongs, lift spaghetti from the pasta water and transfer it to the oil/butter mixture.
Add cheese and remaining olive oil, if desired, to the skillet and stir with the tongs until cheese is completely melted.
Add a few more tablespoons of pasta water to the skillet to adjust consistency, continue heating as necessary until the sauce is creamy and coats each strand of spaghetti. Taste and season, if necessary, with additional salt and black pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Serve immediately, passing extra grated cheese at the table.
Cacio e pepe – A variation on this Italian classic pasta dish
On a recent CBS Sunday Morning episode, there was a segment demonstrating how this Italian classic is made. If adhering to the authentic Italian recipe, the ingredients are salted water, freshly ground black pepper, and Pecorino Romano.
Without Ancestry.com, I can neither confirm nor deny any Italian roots, but let’s just say I don’t have any. Therefore, I’m taking liberties by adding a bit of olive oil and butter without my Nona chastising me. And just to put some Italians over the edge, I also added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the finished pasta and enjoyed it with sautéed shrimp.
Though few, quality ingredients are a must!
The chef on the segment used an immersion blender to mix a bit of pasta water to the cheese and pepper before adding it to the pasta. However, doing this would prevent the ability to “bloom” the pepper, which I find adds substantial flavor.
In addition, somewhere along the way I ran across the suggestion that two pans be used; one for cooking the pasta and the other to finish the cooking. The reason is that generally, the pan that is used to cook the pasta is too hot and therefore the cheese will likely seize up instead of melt properly. I took that suggestion, and the finished dish was perfect.
*Since I added shrimp; I heated a tablespoon each of olive oil and butter in the skillet and sautéed 8 large peeled and deveined shrimp just until cooked through. After cooking, I set the shrimp aside on a plate, and proceeded with the recipe below.
The shrimp and “bloomed” pepper.
Cook the pasta in as little water as possible.
Serves 2
3 tablespoons (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste, divided
2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, or to taste
1 ½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, divided or to taste
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ pound (225g) spaghetti
2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese (about 1 cup; 55g), very finely grated on a Microplane or the smallest holes of a box grater, plus more for serving
Juice from ½ a lemon
*Place a medium skillet (I used a 10-inch, non-stick) over medium-low heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add about a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper and allow the pepper to bloom, becoming fragrant and barely start to sizzle, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.
In a large skillet, add about 2 inches of water and salt and allow water to come to a boil. Add spaghetti and occasionally jiggle with a fork or a pair of tongs to prevent the pasta from sticking together. (Cooking the pasta using a little water as possible concentrates the starch, which helps thicken the sauce when the pasta water is added later.) Cook until spaghetti is al dente (typically about 1 minute less than the package recommends). Transfer 2 to 3 tablespoons of pasta cooking water to the skillet with the olive oil/butter/pepper mixture. Return the skillet to medium low heat and stir in any remaining butter. Using tongs, lift spaghetti from the pasta water and transfer it to the oil/butter mixture.
Add cheese and remaining olive oil, if desired, to the skillet and stir with the tongs until cheese is completely melted.
Add a few more tablespoons of pasta water to the skillet to adjust consistency, continue heating as necessary until the sauce is creamy and coats each strand of spaghetti. Taste and season, if necessary, with additional salt and black pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Serve immediately, passing extra grated cheese at the table.