Benvenuti in Italia!!

So tonight I finally broke down and gave in to my ongoing craving for a pasta that is served at my fave Italian restaurant, Coppa Ristorante called Bucatini Cacio e Pepe.  I did not order it the first time we went because I HAD to have the carbonara; and the second time we went, they had a special Valentine's Day menu going on.  I AM, however, going to order it on our next visit there.

Cacio e Pepe is a Roman dish and basically means cheese and pepper, literally.  In my research of the dish, I encountered one important thing: no two chefs make it the same nor can they agree on how to do it right.  It is a very simple dish and uses very few ingredients. 

Of course with me being home alone right now, I had to create a recipe for one. You can double the recipe, however, for two people.  I wish I would've had bucatini pasta because it would have been great for this dish; bucatini is a spaghetti pasta that has a pinhole size hollow middle which is great to soak up all your sauce.  You can, however, use regular spaghetti, linguine or capellini (angel hair).  My recipe for this pasta should actually be called Cacio, Pepe e Aglio since my pasta has the cheese, pepper and garlic.

Ingredients:

Kosher Salt
3 0z angel hair 
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs unsalted butter
1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup pasta water

This is my favorite type of peppercorns to use for everything; I love the bite it has and great flavor.  This is why I love going to Penzeys Spices in the Heights; if you can, you really need to try to get out to this place for all your spice needs.

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and add salt, boil pasta according to package minus about 1-2 min for al dente. 

Garlic

Pepper straight from my mill

Parmesan

If you don't have one of these, get one now!  This is a microplane, and I use it for so many different things.  When recipes call for minced garlic, I peel the garlic and run through here to create a paste like consistency that basically melts into your food.  I use this to zest lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit.  I also use it to grate/shred cheese like the Parmesan. Plus, I even use it to grate fresh nutmeg!

Ok, back to my recipe, LOL.  Melt 1/2 Tbs of the butter in a pan over medium heat, add oil and swirl together.  Add cracked pepper and garlic and swirl pan around for about a minute to toast pepper and bring out the flavors. 

Add the 1/4 cup pasta water and bring to a simmer.

Add the pasta, the remaining butter & oil.  Reduce heat to low, and add the Parmesan cheese.  Stir and toss with tongs until melted ensuring all the pasta is thoroughly coated.  Serve in a bowl and top with shredded Parmesan.

You can use a combination of cheese:  Parmesan, Parmigiana Reggiano, Grana Padano and Pecorino Romano.

This dish was absolutely spectacular!  This is a dish I will make again because I have to admit I prefer a simple pasta made with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice or touch of white wine.  I did make myself a small tomato, basil & Mozzarella salad stack to go along side.

This here is SUPER simple: thick slice of tomato, a little salt & Italian seasoning, thick slice of mozzarella, basil leaf and another thick slice of tomato with a little salt & Italian seasoning.  Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar; that's it, it's that simple!

I have a word of advice: don't be afraid to try new things, get creative in the kitchen.  It's fun trying all kinds of things out and playing with ideas and seeing them come to fruition. (maybe that's more than one word of advice, lol).  The kitchen is actually my therapy, it helps me unwind and decompress.  Last night I made someone my pineapple upside down cake with crushed pineapples instead of pineapple rings; it was a HUGE success, not to mention a long-overdue promise I had made to make this for them, lol.  A co-worker even asked how come I hadn't made this for the office before and am now committed to make a lemon pound cake when we return after Easter.

Well, I have rambled on enough.  I hope you give this recipe a try; remember, if you are NOT a garlic fan, omit it from the recipe (but hey, we LOVE garlic here so we use it in just about everything).  If you are needing this for multiple people, just multiply by the number needed as this is a one-serving recipe.  Hopefully it is a hit in your household as well!!

Until next time, Happy Eating!!