Cacio e Pepe

If you know me or follow me on insta you know I’m obsessed with Cacio e Pepe- it’s literally my entire food highlight. If you don’t know what Cacio e Pepe is, well it is exactly what it translates to: cheese and pepper. Some describe it as an adult Mac and cheese but I describe it as heaven on a plate. I’ve had many different Cacio e Pepe dishes from many different restaurants and not one has beaten the dish at my local restaurant Anjelicas, even the Cacio e Pepe I had in Italy. I mean Anjelicas is one of the top 100 restaurants in the United States so I guess it makes sense, but I wanted to see if I could make it just as good as them. For such a simple dish, Cacio e Pepe is one of the hardest pasta dishes to perfect. I love to cook and I love a good challenge so I created my own version of a perfect Cacio e Pepe. Here’s my recipe: 

Cacio e Pepe 

Ingredients 

- bucatini pasta 

- Pecorino Romano

- Crushed black pepper 

- Salt 

Directions: 

1. Boil water 

2. Finely grate into a bowl about 2 cups of pecorino Romano 

3. Add freshly cracked black pepper into the bowl and mix together 

4. Gradually add cold water to the cheese/ pasta mixture until it becomes a paste 

5. Once water is boiled and you finish the paste, add pasta to the water

6. Cook pasta al dente (NOT SOFT) 

7. Reserve 1-2 cups of pasta water 

8. Once pasta is done, strain and immediately add to a sauce pan with low heat. Add a little olive oil so pasta doesn't stick together 

9. Add the cheese paste and mix together 

10. Gradually add pasta water until it becomes a sauce, use as much as you like for the thickness of the sauce you like

11. Serve. 

12. Pro tip: add extra pepper and cheese on top of your serving for extra goodness and a better presentation 

13. I also made homemade pasta which made the entire dish 10x better! 

Recipe by Kelsey O’Neill