The meal is made using basic simple ingredients and she added a little twist to her dish with porcini mushrooms occasionally.
This dish is prepared with hot water from the pasta, sauteed freshly cracked black pepper in butter, and lots of Pecorino Romano Cheese.
What is Cacio e Pepe
This dish hails from the Rome, Italy surrounding region. It translates to "cheese and pepper" and those ingredients that are in this dish are just that!
Black pepper, Pecorino Romano, and pasta (and of course pasta water).
Freshly cracked black pepper is plentiful so you can taste the heat, but no overpowering.
The pasta, dried spaghetti, bucatini, and tonnarelli, a square-shaped spaghetti that also goes by the name of spaghetti alla chitarra all are the traditional choices.
Ingredients You Will Need
- spaghetti or bucatini
- pasta water
- Pecorino Romano cheese grated
- black pepper
- salt
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Depression Food and Simplicity
This food comes from Roman sheepherders who had very little money and this was considered peasant food and very economical.
They used their sheep's cheese they would make from scratch and a bit of the pasta water from what the macaroni was cooked in to make this delectable easy creamy pasta.
The addition of black pepper gives this dish a spicy kick in flavor.
This authentic Italian meal is not only inexpensive, it was a staple growing up for my Grandmother in her Italian home in Rome, Italy, we make this often in her memory.
Cacio e Pepe
Yield: 6
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 6 MinTotal time: 11 Min
This food comes from Roman sheepherders who had very little money and this was considered peasant food and very economical.They used their sheep's cheese they would make from scratch and a bit of the pasta water from what the macaroni was cooked in to make this delectable easy creamy pasta.The addition of black pepper gives this dish a spicy kick in flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound cooked fresh spaghetti or bucatini pasta reserving the pasta water
- 2 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1- 1/2 tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper or more to taste
- cooking spray oil
Instructions
- In a small frying pan ( I spray with cooking spray.) saute the black pepper to toast it but don't burn it.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt.
- Cook the fresh pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Place grated Pecorino Romano cheese into a large glass bowl and mix with a fork to make sure the cheese contains no lumps.
- Once the pasta is cooked reserve the past water. and add the cooked pasta to a bowl with the cheese.
- Add one ladle of pasta water to the bowl.
- Vigorously stir in the cheese until the creamy consistency has formed usually around 4 minutes and no lumps remain.
- Add more pasta water, little by little, until a creamy sauce has formed.
- Add the toasted black pepper.
- Serve immediately.
Notes:
Tips
- always steam and drain the broccoli
- always salt the water then drain but do not rinse pasta(the sauce will stick to the pasta better)
- never over saute the garlic or burn it will ruin this dish garlic should be light golden brown in color
- refer to package instructions to cook store-bought cavatelli
- broccoli gets stronger the next day in flavor if you have leftovers we try to eat this fresh the same day
Other Vegetables to Substitute for Broccoli
- sauteed spinach
- artichoke hearts
- sundried tomatoes or chopped raw fresh tomatoes
- sauteed escarole
- sauteed broccoli rabe
- sauteed peppers of any kind
- sauteed squash zucchini or yellow
- sauteed mushrooms
- steamed green beans
- sauteed asparagus
- steamed cauliflower
- vegetable medley
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