CACIO E PEPE
Feeds 2
Ingredients -
250g pasta of your choice- spaghetti OR bucatini work well
250-300ml of pasta water
sea salt flakes
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves of garlic – peeled, crushed or several leaves of wild garlic or several sprigs of thyme or sage
3 tbsp butter
250g Grana Padano riserva
zest of ¼ lemon
Instructions-
Begin by taking a shallow dish or deep frying pan and fill with just enough water to cover your pasta. Add a generous sprinkle of sea salt flakes and bring to the boil before adding your choice of pasta. Cook your pasta for a third of the time advised on the packet as IT will continue to cook in your cheese sauce.
Note- When cooking the pasta the aim is to not use too much water as you want it to be as starchy as possible as the water is then use to make up the sauce. Don’t throw the water away once the pasta is cooked.
In a dry frying pan (that’s large enough to add your pasta too) add your milled peppercorns and lightly toast for 30-40 seconds then reduce the heat and add in 2 tablespoons of butter (save the third). For a bit of a twist on this dish I like to add in either fresh herbs or a hit of garlic. You can do this by adding in a several sprigs of thyme or sage or crushed cloves of garlic and allow to cook and flavour the melted butter for a couple of minutes. Remove your herbs or garlic before adding in your pasta water- you can discard or garnish with these.
Once butter is melted remove herbs and add in around 250ml of pasta water or roughly a cup followed by your pasta and scatter over 2/3 of your finely grated cheese- don’t stir just increase the heat slightly and allow the cheese to melt for around 30-40 seconds then with a wooden spoon stir your pasta until coated in a lovely thick sauce, add in you final tablespoon of butter, stir again until sauce is glossy and thick- you can increase the heat if the sauce isn’t thick enough. Serve and garnish with a little extra black pepper, a little lemon zest and an extra scattering of freshly grated Grana Padano.
