Cacio e Pepe = Pasta Perfection

Sorry I have been such a lame blogger as of late.  After my last post, I spent several weeks traveling (both for work and for fun) and once I got back, I was super behind and had a ton of things to catch up on, both at work and at home.

Now that things are finally settling down (and I am strapped for cash from my latest travel extravaganza), I am finally getting back into cooking - which is good news for both my wallet and my blog! 

My latest cooking inspiration has been coming from one of the recent issues of Bon Appetit, which had the following promise on the cover:

Um, yes please!  (You can expect to see lots of pastas coming your way in the next few posts people.)

According to this issue of the magazine, the real secret to restaurant-worthy pasta is all about combining the sauce and the pasta together in a single pan and letting them meld together.

For my first attempt at this technique, I attempted a traditional cucina povera (or "peasant cuisine") style dish - in a nutshell, this is basically a dish that requires very few ingredients but is still rich in flavor.  I chose Cacio e Pepe, which is literally translated to "cheese and pepper", and it is honestly just about that simple.  But don't let the simplicity of the recipe or the cucina povera nature of the dish fool you into thinking this is just some ho hum dish - you'll find it hard to believe just how rich and flavorful cheese and freshly cracked pepper can be!

Cacio e Pepe

1 lb spaghetti
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan
1/3 cup finely grated pecorino romano

Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot and cook spaghetti until 2 minutes shy of "al dente" (according to package cooking instructions).  Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Melt 2 Tbsp butter in large frying pan over medium heat: 

Add pepper and cook until toasted (approximately one minute): 

Add 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water to pan and simmer until reduced by about half: 

Add pasta, remaining Tbsp of butter:

and both cheeses: 

Reduce heat to low and toss with tongs (or, if you are brave and not afraid of possibly having to scrub down your range after, by doing those fancy pan flips you always see celebrity chefs doing) until the cheese is melted and the pasta is coated with sauce.  (If the sauce seems too dry, add more pasta water):

Spoon into bowls and serve.

Bon appetite!