I think I've mentioned this before, but there's a Murray's Cheese Bar in my local
supermarket! One of my favorite cheese shops from Greenwich Village (which is
where I lived during my college years) has a little outpost here in Denver and
I've been eating a good deal of high-quality cheese over the past few weeks.
Bulgarian Feta, Broncocci, Manchego, smoked Gouda, for example. Anyway, this
week I picked up some Cacio de Roma and Pecorino Romano
for Cacio e Pepe (literally cheese and pepper), a classic Roman dish.
The pasta is tasty, its minimal ingredients are simple, and it's easy
to make. You can prepare this dish in under 15 minutes. Cacio e Pepe is unpretentious,
unambitious, but still entirely delicious.
Making the ubiquitous Roman dish reminded me of Italy, which is where
I vacationed in 2006 during a layover after visiting the Middle East. It was a
lifetime ago- before marriage, before Otis, before Theo, and before
Colorado...
On that trip I walked and ate, and the walked some more. The
city of Rome is really one of a kind.
I dined at cozy, dim-lit restaurants, but had my fare share of
street food too. I ate amazing tiramisu, roasted chestnuts, wonderful bread and
drank fabulous wine too. Of course I am a semolina junkie, so I consumed one
bowl of pasta after the other. I mean, how could I not? But back to Cacio e
Pepe...
The first time I had Cacio e Pepe it
was served in a hollowed out Parmesan wheel. I wondered how the wheel was
cleaned for re-use and the general sanitariness of it all, but after a bottle
of red wine I didn't really care anymore. It was good, good, good.
I found myself craving it last night after looking through my
travel pictures. I had good quality pasta in my pantry, olive oil, freshly
cracked black pepper, Pecorino Romano and Cacio de Roma, thanks to Murray's.
Dinner was on.
So here it is. I promise you that one bite of this will have
you conjuring up images of the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, and the Dome
of St. Peter's Basilica. It's a classic and when it's made right (with high
quality ingredients) it's makes the perfect dinner. Bon Appetito!
Cheese and Pepper: Cacio e Pepe
(Courtesy of Saveur Magazine,
from Anya von Bremzen's "Eternal Pleasures," April 2010.)
Serves 4.
Ingredients
Kosher salt, to taste
1 lb. pasta, preferably tonnarelli or thin spaghetti (you could
use vermicelli too)
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. freshly cracked black
pepper, plus more to taste
1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
3⁄4 cup
finely grated Cacio de Roma (some recipes use Grana Padano or Parmesan)
Directions
Bring
a 6-qt. pot of salted water to a boil.
Add pasta; cook until al dente, 8–10
minutes; reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain pasta.
Meanwhile,
heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
Add
pepper;cook until fragrant, 1–2 minutes.
Ladle
3⁄4 cup pasta water into skillet; bring to a boil.
Using
tongs, transfer pasta to skillet; spread it evenly.
Sprinkle
3⁄4 cup each Pecorino Romano and Cacio de Roma over pasta; toss vigorously to
combine until sauce is creamy and clings to the pasta without clumping, about 2
minutes,
adding some pasta water if necessary.
Transfer
to 4 plates and sprinkle with remaining Pecorino and more pepper.
Pairing Note: A medium-bodied Sangiovese, like the 2005 Brancaia
Tre Toscana ($21),
will complement this dish's peppery notes. — David
Rosengarten
