Cacio e Pepe

How we make it.

For One:

1/4 pound spaghetti, cooked per package instructions in salted water
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked and smooshed
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, grated

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and season liberally with salt. For 12 cups of water I like to do anywhere from 2-3 tablespoons of kosher salt. Drop pasta in and cook a minute shy of package instructions until just finished. In a mortar and pestle (a little stone bowl with a stone club to smash things) smash black peppercorns until cracked, meaning not a find powder but in a little peppercorn rubble. Nothing so big that you wouldn’t want to bite directly into it because that’s what you’ll be doing. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle put those peppercorns in a zip lock bag and whack 'em with a skillet or something. In a separate little pan, melt butter and add peppercorns, heating gently on medium low for 2-4 minutes. Add pasta to the pan once it's nearly finished cooking. Lower heat, add cheeses on top of pasta, and around a quarter cup of pasta water, stirring together and cooking for a minute or so more until creamy. Serve in a big bowl and enjoy.

For All:

1 pound spaghetti, cooked per package instructions in salted water
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons black peppercorns, cracked and smooshed
1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
1 cup Pecorino Romano, grated

Do all the things I said up above but more of it.

Why we make it.

Isn't it always the simplest things that are the most wonderful? I think that's right. Cacio e pepe for one is the adult equivalent of a box of spiral mac and cheese when you were 12. It was Saturday night. You had no plans! And you didn't notice. My husband has a business trip this week, he literally never has those, and I found myself with a weeknight home alone without even my kids. I didn't make plans. I made cacio e pepe. You should, too. Pour a glass of wine. Relax. Cook for 10 minutes tops and then twirl your fork through cheese slicked strands of perfectly cooked spaghetti studded with spicy black pepper. Swirl luscious nests of toothy, salty pasta in your favorite bowl while you watch a show with cuss words. You're not 12, but you might feel like it tonight. That's why we make it.