Pepper Pasta - CACI0 E PEPE

This is one of the most delicious pasta dishes if you love BLACK PEPPER and CHEESE.

My Mother loved black pepper and used it liberally whenever we had dinner. She would have adored this simple pasta dish.

I posted a variation on how to make this wonderful pasta in my cookbook Glorious Pasta & Risotto. This version for my blog page is a new technique that I recently learned that makes all the difference in the world. If you are purist on how Italian Pasta dishes are made please try this recipe.

While this recipe has only 3 ingredients - the method is absolutely essential for a fabulous result.

Ingredients:

handful of black peppercorns - use new ones if possible such as “tellicherry” peppercorns

1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano - place in a medium size bowl

1/2 box Spaghetti - for this dish I recommend De Cecco due to the rough edges it has which is great for holding this particular sauce.

Salt

Directions:

Begin to heat the water to boil your pasta. Add a good pinch of salt into the water before it boils.

At the same time - In a dry skillet toast your peppercorns until fragrant.

Cool and place inside a clean pepper grinder.

Grind a good amount of pepper into the hot pan.

*You do not need to use any olive oil and please for this recipe do not. Resisit the temptation the first time you make this to add olive oil or butter.

Once the water is boiling drop in your pasta. After 2 minutes of cooking add 2 large ladles of the pasta water into the hot pan with the pepper. Simmer the pasta liquid with the pepper. Immediately add into your grated cheese 2-3 ladles of the pasta water and stir gently until a nice creamy sauce forms. Add more pasta water to achieve a nice texture.

Keep this cheese sauce next to your skillet.

When your pasta is cooked halfway (typically 5 minutes); if the box suggests 10 minutes add all the pasta into the skillet (using tongs) including any pasta water that clings to the pasta.

Begin to vigorously stir the pasta inside the skillet and flip (if skilled) the pasta. You want the temp to be medium to medium low heat.

Once the pasta is fully incorporated reduce the heat to a simmer and add in your cheese sauce. Stir and flip the pasta gently over and over for approx 4-5 minutes. *You are essentially finishing the pasta cook time, in the skillet, with the sauce.

Add more pasta water as the pasta cooks to achieve the desired moisture. *The goal is not a soupy sauce but very moist.

Serve Immediately! (as the pasta sits it will dry out so please serve immediately.

ENJOY!!