Cacio e pepe
Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I personally ate half a tray of cornbread mushroom stuffing and an obscene amount of sweet potato carrot souffle. And yes, I woke up feeling like stuffing and craving more carbs. So I made my new comfort dish - cacio e pepe.
It's pasta, cheese, butter, and black pepper. I typically have all of these ingredients in my kitchen, so it's an easy go-to. This time I even topped it with toasted panko crumbs and that just elevated this dish to legendary status in my books.
I realize that this is a cheese and black pepper pasta sauce, but I've always interpreted it as a butter and black pepper with a hint of cheese. Disclaimer: I ABSOLUTELY LOVE CHEESE. But my cacio e pepe recipe is very light on cheese compared to your restaurant cacio e pepes that are so cheesy and therefore so salty that it takes away from all the other aspects of the dish.. namely the al dente texture of the pasta against the crisp of the breadcrumbs. Yes, I found that the overwhelming cheesiness of cacio e pepe can take away from the simple beauty of the textures. So I prefer to tone down the flavors in order to bring more balance to all aspects of the dish. And also butter. I rarely make butter based pasta sauces (because olive oil is savior), but butter is truly the highlight of this sauce.
So I can go on talking about how I feel about pasta and cheese forever because... carbs and cheese are life. But I will spare you the rest of my decadent musings and share with you this 15 minute recipe.
Cacio e pepe (serves 2)
4 oz spaghettini
1/2 c pecorino / parmesan
4 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp black pepper
salt
Optional but highly recommended:
breadcrumbs*
2 c arugula
1. In a large pot, cook pasta per package instructions, salt in the water and all
2. In a skillet, heat butter on medium low heat
3. Once melted, lower heat and melt cheese, add 3-4 tbsp of pasta water. Mix well
4. Transfer pasta from pot into pan. Mix well with black pepper
5. Serve on top of arugula, sprinkly breadcrumbs generously on top
* Seasoned panko crumbs
1/4 c panko crumbs
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp olive oil
1. Mix all ingredients together
2. Toast in toaster oven light / medium
