Cacio e Pepe

Becky and I were recently in California to celebrate her birthday. One night we had dinner at a spot we had eaten at many times before, but had somehow never noticed what is considered the house specialty: Cacio e Pepe. The dish is essentially spaghetti with cheese and pepper. I was shocked at the $45 price for the meal. But they made a big deal about the dish and said we would marvel at the tableside presentation. And marvel we did.

The waiter carted out a half-wheel of Parmesan cheese. A full wheel costs about $1,500 for 3-year aged Parmesan and weighs in at a whopping 100 pounds. The restaurant cuts the wheel in half and shaves a small amount of the cheese out to create a bowl. The warm spaghetti melts the cheese as it is tumbled in the bowl. The dish is so popular at Bella Vista that they go through a 100-pound wheel every two weeks.

Most of us don't keep 100-pound wheels of Parmesan in our pantry. So I researched a number of recipes to see how I could come closest to what I ate that night...but with just the resources of a home cook. I found a recipe by Ali Martin that I think comes the closest....and it only requires a few ingredients. There are two things that are very important. Buy the cheese in your deli department. It should be cut from a wheel and you need to grate it at home. If you use refrigerated, pre-grated cheese your meal will clump and be ruined. Second, let your sauce and spaghetti cool for 2-3 minutes before you mix them. If you mix them while piping hot...yes...they will clump.


Ingredients
3 tablespoons of salt
8 ounces of spaghetti
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon freshly cracked, coarse black pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese


Directions

1. Fill a large pot with water and add 3 tablespoons of salt. Bring water to a boil and add pasta. Cook until al dente (about a minute less than package instructions.)
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the pepper, and cook for 1 minute.  Then ladle out about 1/2 cup of the boiling starchy pasta water, and slowly add it to the melted butter mixture.  (Be careful, it will bubble up vigorously when added.)  Whisk until combined. 
3. Remove pan from heat and let it rest for at least 3 minutes.  Gradually add in the cheese, and whisk until combined.
4. Once the pasta is ready to go, reserve an extra 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water from the stockpot and set it aside.  Strain your pasta completely, and let it rest for 2-3 minutes to cool off a tiny bit.  Then add about half of your pasta to the sauce, give it a good toss, add the remaining pasta and toss until completely combined, adding in a splash of the reserved pasta water if needed if the sauce starts to seem dry.  Taste, and season with extra salt, if needed, and toss to combine.
5. Serve warm, garnished with extra cheese and pepper.

Wine pairing: Chianti Classico

Grogs and Goldie, 1956