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It was summer and it was hot where I lived when I came across this easy comforting dish to make that did not take a lot of time, had a lot of ingredients and was good. Pasta came to mind and this ended up being the recipe. It’s one of the many traditional pasta dishes in Italy. I love pasta. It’s so versatile and blends so many ingredients together. You can eat it as an entrée and serve with a green salad or as a compliment to a main entrée, such as a nice steak, chicken, fish/salmon or vegetables. A hearty pasta, like Bucatini works well here or Spaghetti. It’s best to give you a ‘round’ pasta over a flat pasta. Serve with a salad to round out the meal.
Cacio e Pepe Pasta
Ingredients
- 10 oz Bucatini Pasta (or spaghetti)
- 6 Tbsp Butter
- 1 ½ Tbsp Freshly Ground Pepper (key here, not regular pepper)
- 1 ½ – 2 cups of Freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese
- Reserving some for garnish on top
- 1 cup or more of Pasta Water
Directions
- In a large sauce pan cook the pasta according to package directions. Don’t skimp on the water. Reserving some of the pasta water for later will be key.
- In the meantime, freshly grate the pepper and cheese.
- In a sauté pan, add the freshly ground pepper and toast for just a few moments. Add in the butter and stir until melted. Then slowly add in about ½ cup of the pasta water and stir until heated all the way through.
- Drain the pasta and remember to keep the pasta water until you are done with it. Add the pasta to the pan and using tongs twirl the pasta until it is coated with the warm sauce. Add another ½ cup of the pasta water and 1 cup of the cheese and gently stir the pasta until the cheese has melted. Add another ½ cup of cheese and stir again until the cheese has melted. Add more pasta water to melt the cheese and to loosen up the sauce if needed. You should be ready to serve the pasta with a nice sauce.
- Serve the pasta by twirling it into a bowl and add freshly ground pepper and garnish with cheese. Simply delicious.
Enjoy ☺