Cacio E Pepe
One of my go-to dishes that always seems to impress!
Silky, spicy, cheesy YUM
Servings: 3-4 people
Ingredients
Kosher salt
½ lb long noodle shape pasta (linguine, bucatini, spaguetti, tonnarelli, chitarra)
1 tbsp. coarse freshly cracked black pepper
3 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
2 c. reserved pasta water
½ c. Grana Padano cheese finely grated
½ c Pecorino Romano cheese finely grated
Start by grating your pecorino and grana padano separately. Use a microplane or the smallest size grater you have and place in respective bowls. Alternatively, you can pulse in the food processor until you have a very fine crumb. Set aside.
Place a large stock pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Season the water well with kosher salt. When you taste the water, it should taste like the ocean. Add your pasta and cook 2 minutes under al dente (firm to the bite). So a bit harder than normal al dente. The pasta will finish cooking in the sauce. Take a liquid measuring cup or mug and scoop out 2 cups of the pasta water, set aside and drain the pasta in a colander.
In the meantime, place a large saute pan on medium high heat. Add in your coarse cracked black pepper and toast by swirling the pan around until you can smell it wafting through the air. But careful not to burn! Should take about 1 minute. Add about a ¾ cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet and swirl. Grab a whisk and, turn down to medium heat and add in 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon at a time and whisk until melted into the water. Bring the pan to a very low simmer. Slowly start to add in the grana padano little by little continuing to whisk. The key here is to go very slowly and to keep whisking to incorporate the cheese. We are emulsifying and building the sauce.
Once you have finished, add in the pasta and another tablespoon of butter and toss vigorously. This will help release the starches from the pasta and adhere the sauce to the noodle. Slowly introduce the pecorino and keep stirring and tossing. If it starts to look a bit dry, add more pasta water a few tablespoons at a time. Toss, toss, toss! You can use tongs to help flip and keep the noodles moving.
The final consistency should be just coated pasta with a shiny and glossy look to it. Plate in a bowl and it is ready to serve! For extra peppery goodness, add a few fresh cracks of black pepper on top if desired.
