While I was less than thrilled with Rome when we visited last year (too many people, too much hype), I did come back with a new pasta love, Cacio e Pepe. I hadn't had it before in the states. When reading, however, about what to eat when in Rome (the answer is that everything is geared towards tourists and particularly amazing), I did take note that Anthony Bourdain said to just eat Cacio e Pepe anywhere in Rome. So, I took his advice and was very pleased that I did as it was delicious. I was sad to not see it on many restaurant menus here in the states, though, so I was happy when I found this recipe by Mark Bittman on the New York Times' website. The comments I think are quite helpful, though. Here's how I made it for a single portion for myself.
Cacio e Pepe
Ingredients
1/3 cup pasta
~1 cup of grated cheese (see below), equal parts pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Regiano (important that this is real brick cheese to start and not pre-grated cheese that is commonly available)
pepper, freshly ground
Directions
1. In a large pot, fill about half way with water and salt well (1-2Tbsps). When boiling add the pasta.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor (or you can do this by hand with a grater), grate the cheese until quite fine.
3. Begin to watch the pasta closely and when it is about 1-2 minutes from being done (you'll have to check it carefully), transfer the pasta only to another saucier type of pan. Then, add ~1 cup of the pasta water to the new pan. Turn the heat on medium-low. Slowly, sprinkle in the cheese, turning the pasta over until it forms a nice sauce that clings to the pasta. Once you have enough cheese to do this, stop and don't add too much cheese or it gets too thick and sticky.
4. Add freshly ground pepper to taste and so it has the nice look with all the black specks evenly dispersed.
5. Enjoy!
