Pasta Cacio e Pepe

If I had to eat one dish for the rest of my life, it would be pizza, but pasta would be a very close second. While it is not something that we eat every day, our once a week pasta night is something we all look forward to. Me, because it is easy and fast, and the rest of the family because they almost always like it, whether the version is vodka sauce, pesto, shrimp, zucchini, eggplant or pantry staples like anchovies, capers, lemon and breadcrumbs.

Cacio e Pepe is one of the pasta dishes I would order in a restaurant because I didn’t make it at home. There was something about the simplicity of the few ingredients that is so special, but I never thought I could recreate. But the lure of a recipe with only five ingredients kept taunting me, and I decided to start testing.

I didn’t have to test too many! I read many recipes and reviews, but the cooking method on this Geoffrey Zakarian Cacio e Pepe recipe made me know it was the first one I wanted to try. I have scaled the recipe to accommodate one pound of pasta and I am probably a bit heavy handed with the pecorino and less so with the olive oil, but this recipe is pretty close to his original.

It may take you a few tries to get the hang of this one and to figure out the pasta shape you like best. Bucatini (hollow spaghetti) is what we started making it with, and it works, but we prefer it with the Vesuvio (volcano) shape (affiliate link). (I get a different brand of the same shape at City Super in Hong Kong. They are on the end of the aisle with the “special” pastas.) They cook really well with this water absorption method and capture all the delicious sauce, cheese and toasted pepper in their round spirals. But another kind of thicker cut artisan-style pasta would work as well.

You probably have everything for this already, except maybe the Pecorino-Romano. Do not try to substitute Parmesan! I promise it is worth the effort to pick up a block of Pecorino for the fridge for the next time your pasta craving strikes. In Hong Kong, I usually get it at Oliver’s, City Super, Great or a Marketplace or 360 that has a fresh cheese section, so it isn’t too hard to find.

Place the pasta in a skillet just wide enough to hold it in one layer. Fill the pan so the water is one inch from the bottom only, and just barely covering the pasta. (I did the water first this time, but I recommend keeping to my original instructions. It is easiest to add the water with a pitcher as it can be tricky to carry the pan from the sink to the stove without spilling! 😉) Add a generous (but not too generous) sprinkling of Kosher salt to the pasta and water and bring to a boil. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring as needed to prevent the pasta from sticking together or to the bottom of the pan. I set the timer for what the package says for al dente, but you are going to let the pasta water reduce almost completely so you need to keep an eye on it and it may take more time than the package says. Do not add more water unless it completely evaporates before the pasta is cooked. It that case, you an add a little bit more, but you are working to have very little starchy water left before you add the other ingredients.

While the pasta is cooking, grate the cheese and add the black pepper to a separate small pan over medium heat. Cook for one to two minutes until it is toasted and starting be become fragrant.

When the pasta water has reduced to the point that only a little bit remains and the bottom of the pan, and the pasta is al dente, turn off the heat to the pan. Add the toasted ground black pepper and ½ cup of the Pecorino-Romano. Stir quickly and vigorously to incorporate the ingredients together and create a silky sauce. Taste and add more cheese, salt and/or pepper to taste. Add the 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and stir again to incorporate.

Place the pasta in a large serving bowl, garnishing with additional black pepper, Pecorino-Romano and extra-virgin olive oil (if desired).