- fresh linguini fini (or some other thin, long pasta)
- peppercorns, 1 tbs
- butter, 1 tbs
- fresh parmesan, start with 1tbs and then keep adding until its the right consistency.
Cacio e Pepe is a simple artful dish that can be made relatively quickly. It take a few times to get it right as it is more of a feel based thing than an exact science. At its best it is both creamy and peppery, each piece of pasta evenly coated with a “sauce” (it is really more of a light integrated coating) that is not too loose or thick.
- Prepare your pasta with well seasoned water. I usually prefer fresh linguini fini (a smaller linguini) but with angel hair it is really nice too!
- Meanwhile, melt a generous amount of butter and olive oil in a pan and sauté a few pinches of black pepper corns.
- Once they have been simmering a while you can crush them in a mortar and pestle then move them back to the oil or you can just crush them with the back or a spoon or fork in the pan. If it’s too tough to do I know it isn’t ready yet.
- Drain your pasta being sure to keep a good amount of the seasoned pasta water. Butter / salt your pasta in the strainer.
- Now comes the artful part. Have a container full of parmesan and your pasta water close by. Throw the cooked pasta into the black pepper butter / oil. Add a bit of your pasta water and a generous amount of parmesan into the pan and toss the pasta. Repeat this step until the pasta is evenly coated and serve immediately.
Tips and Notes: It really took me making this three times before I got the result I wanted but I learned a few things along the way:
- Make sure the pan isn’t too hot or cold. Medium low is good but I usually take it off the heat half way through the process
- Make sure to use enough butter. More butter makes this easier
- It will probably get clumpy the first time. This is an indication that either the temperature is wrong or your haven’t added a good amount of pasta water.
- Don’t worry if you mess up because the result is usually amazing anyway 😉
- Grilled asparagus and burrata with lemon juice makes an excellent side