Cacio e Pepe
2 portionsA part of me dies every time someone drains their pasta water and its magic disappears down the drain. This Roman classic black pepper pasta captures the creaminess of pasta water in the scrappiest way. No dish does a better job of making the most out of nothing.
What you will need
Coarse sea salt
8 ounces spaghetti
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
(Nutritional facts 256 calories, 14.23 g fat, 21.66 g carbohydrates, 10.79 g protein, 39 mg cholesterol, 505 mg sodium)How to cook
1
Put a big pasta pot of water over high heat. Add a couple of handfuls of salt. Don’t be shy. Pasta water should have the salinity of seawater.
2
Add the spaghetti, stir once, and cook to al dente, about 7 minutes.
3
Right before the pasta is ready, melt the butter in a large skillet with a ladleful of the pasta water. Add the pepper and cook until lightly thickened.
4
Lift the al dente pasta with tongs or a spider strainer into the skillet and toss with the sauce. Add 2 ladles of pasta water and cook until the sauce is just thick enough to coat the pasta. Remove from the heat and stir in about 3/4 cup of the cheese. Add a little more pasta water if it doesn’t look saucy enough. Serve topped with the remaining ¼ cup cheese. Eat right away.
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