It was that article on The Black Pepper Conspiracy that did it. Now, of course, I'm craving black pepper. And nothing can quite satisfy a black pepper craving like a plate of Cacio e Pepe. You with me?
This is one of the simplest pasta dishes ever imagined, but therein lies its allure. Cacio e Pepe is just pasta tossed in a sauce of butter, freshly-cracked black pepper, sheep's milk cheese (like pecorino), and a little of the pasta cooking water. Simmered for a few minutes, the sauce gets creamy and infused with peppery flavor.
This pasta is absolutely addictive.
If I'm being good, I'll have a plate of this pasta with a fresh green side salad and a bit of poached chicken on the side. If I'm being honest, I confess to eating an enormous bowl all on its own. And then wiping the dish clean with a bit of bread.
Give it a try tonight and I promise you won't be disappointed:
• Cacio e Pepe from Bon Appétit
Do you love this dish too?
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(Image: Tom Schierlitz/Bon Appétit)
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I didn't know it had a name! I've been making it for years, it's simple comfort food for me.
So true. One of the most comforting dishes!!
I loved the article in Lucky Peach about making it with Ramen noodles! Dying to try it.
I make it with olive oil so that it is "healthy", then I eat very large bowls of this.
I was first served this at a restaurant in Sienna, Italy. My boyfriend and I still make little happy noises when we talk about it.
I'm completely with you!
It's really delicious, I just make mine with extra virgin olive oil :)
So so delicious and so simple. I used a Saveur recipe from their Rome Issue (April 2010). Great resource during my honeymoon!
http://whitneyinchicago.wordpress.com/2011/06/19/cacio-e-pepe/
this is one of my favorite things to eat, ever
I love this dish too, thanks to Amanda Hesser's recipe:
Bavette Cacio e Pepe
i was not a fan of tomato sauce as a kid, so on pasta night i usually had mine with a little butter and salt, lots of black pepper, and some parmesan if we had some. Yum!
I've been doing this for awhile too! I must say it never looks as fancy and good as it does in that picture above. It's so simple and yummy though.
smitten kitchen has a recipe for this (and great directions as well) that is divine.
I might have to get myself some gluten free pasta for this
This has always been one of my favorite recipes, and it's even better if you can find some pici
I've been making this with zucchini "pasta" (basically long julienne) during the summer -- delicious and much lighter. Back to real pasta when the weather cools down though. :)
*exactly* what I needed for dinner last night - fanastic!
I've made this dish quite a few times after seeing it in Bon Appetit and have forgotten to reserve the pasta water more times than not.
I love how my lips tingle from all the pepper :-)
For a pop of color, I like to add sweet green peas.
At boarding school in Rome Italy in the 70's, the Sicilian kitchen staff served us this, with no cheese, no butter, just plain vegetable oil and lots of pepper. Orphanage food. My parents had no idea. I at least got a good education and lived in the Eternal City, malnourished but ecstatic.
This has become one of my camp cooking staples because it's so simple, filling and tasty. Fresh cracked pepper is really the key.
I love making this, although I grind the cheese in a food processor because I like the texture of slightly larger pieces of cheese stuck to the pasta. It reminds me of a version I had at Lupa in NY.