Cacio e Pepe

Cacio e pepe, or spaghetti with black pepper and cheese, is one of those things that is so easy, it’s laughable. Four ingredients, two of which are salt and pepper, plus pasta water and voila, lunch is finished in 10 minutes. My cousin, who shared this easy weekend meal with me, was embarrassed that I planned to post in on this here blog. “You didn’t even add anything special,” I believe were his exact words.

But. it. is. so. good. Simple and delicious? Sounds like exactly the kind of recipe I want on a lazy Saturday and exactly the kind of recipe I’d like to share with you.

The dish comes from the Romans and first appeared on my radar last summer, when Anthony Bourdain did a No Reservations episode in Rome (in black and white! so amazing). There are a hundred ways to dress it up: Saveur includes a pepper-infused oil, Bon Appetit involves arugula and penne and Mario Batali adds both butter and oil. I eschewed all of that and relied on my knowledge of traditional Roman cuisine (ha.) to create my own, extra-easy version. It is, of course, slightly heavy on the cheese.

Cacio e Pepe

– 1/2 pound spaghetti (I only had angel hair on hand — any thin, long pasta works)

– 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano

– 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper, plus more to taste

– salt for pasta water

1) Prepare the pasta as instructed, salting the pasta water once it is at a rolling boil. Once the pasta is ready, reserve a 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining.

2) Toss the pasta with the cheese and black pepper, adding the water a tablespoon at a time so that the cheese doesn’t glue to the pasta (you may not need all of the water — you want it to be just wet enough so that the pasta doesn’t form one big blob).

3) Top with a little grated cheese and some extra black pepper and enjoy!

[print recipe in PDF form]