Roman Simplicity: Cacio e Pepe e??

You know, just because a meal is simple in its ingredients, doesn't mean that it is simple in its taste. Sometimes the fewer the ingredients, the greater the variance in the flavors of the dish. Or at least that's what I've found. Give me a simple peasant dish which has been passed down through the ages and I will tell you you will be eating pure culture. And it...is....delicious.

Today we're going to look at a simple pasta dish from Rome (and many pastas dishes from Rome subscribe to the philosophy of simple, few ingredients, yet tasty...and so should we!) called Cacio e Pepe. Which is simply Cheese and Pepper. Simple right? Now if you Google this you will probably find pages and pages of recipes, and by all means try them all. But through some slight variations I really think I've nailed this bad boy. But in the end....you my fine foodie friends, can be the judge and jury. OK.....Let's prep...

Here's What You Will Need:

1 pound dried Spaghetti (You can vary on thickness and Dry v Fresh if you want, all are good)
4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus extra for serving (MUST BE FRESHLY GRATED....or it just won't be the same, don't be lazy)
Sea Salt
Coarsely FG Black Pepper (don't even think about using pepper powder)
1-2 Garlic Cloves sliced (This is TOTALLY a TPC thing and therefore optional...don't say no....say maybe)
2-3 tbsp unsalted butter (Optional as well)

Bring water to boil in a large pot. THEN salt the water. Throw in the pasta and cook until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large frying pan heat up the FG pepper and the olive oil on a med high heat until the pepper start to fry up a bit. You'll see it bubbling in the pan and most of all you will SMELL it ahhhhhhhh. OK FOCUS!.....drop the heat to low until you're ready to put the pasta in.

TPC NOTE: Another variation I've seen often is toasting the pepper in the pan by itself for about 30 seconds then adding the oil....have to admit....this is also tasty. So.....of course...try both...

Right before the pasta is almost ready, add the garlic to the pan and raise the heat. You can also add the butter here which gives a wonderful depth to the flavor. BUT I get the health aspect, so you can skip the butter and still absolutely LOVE this dish.

Using tongs, transfer pasta to the pan; spreading it out as evenly as possible. (Don't throw out the pasta water yet). Drop the heat to low so the cheese doesn't separate. Start adding the parmesan over pasta; tossing vigorously to combine until sauce is creamy and clings to the pasta without clumping, about 2 minutes, adding some pasta water if necessary to get the creamy texture you want.

Immediately transfer to a large warm serving bowl or the individual warm personal bowls. Grate some more cheese on top. A "little" more pepper fresh and just a drizzle of olive oil, which adds very subtle fruitiness to the dish. Leave out an additional bowl of grated cheese to add as you go.


TPC NOTE: The difference between Hero and Zero here is what you do with the bowls. PLEASE warm them up (in the oven or just with hot water, hell I've even taken them right out of the dishwasher at serving). If you serve them in cold bowls, the dish will congeal in minutes and all of that hard work was for naught. Sure, it's still tasty, but not even close to what it could be. Warm bowls keep the dish nice and creamy.

WINE NOTE: You can go with a nice Cab here as it blends well with the FG pepper (almost like steak). A big Zin is always safe. On the white side I did it with a nice Sancerre (yeah I've been here before) and it was also very tasty.

Until we do this again....

Enjoy....Have Fun...and Eat Well!

TPC

Getting Healthy.....Salad Italian Style

Last night was a rough night, you had a big meal...maybe a few glasses of wine. And right now you just need to feel healthy. You now that feeling? Fear not TPC has just the thing that will get you back in the game, it's very healthy for you and of course tastes great. Today we're going to throw together a Tuscan Salad. Like many of things we talk about there are basics of a Tuscan salad with room for many variants, so again, it's what you have in the fridge and what you like to eat. And this is SO easy to make. If it take you longer than 10 minutes to make you're doing something wrong. Let's go see what's in the fridge and cupboard first...shall we? OK let's prep...

What you'll Need:
Some Lettuce (any kind of lettuce will do, arugula is great here but I love romaine) enough to fill as many bowls as your serving.
Some Cheese (Feta, Havarti, Swiss, Cheddar are all fine and you probably have them on the fridge, but if you have it....Parmesan Reggiano would be perfect)
One onion sliced (Red, White, Yellow all work, but be careful this can be overpowering, I literally take one slice, the semi dice up the slices)
1 Can of Beans drained and rinsed (Kidney Dark or Light, but as an Italian I always have a can or two of Cannelini beans lying around)
1 Lemon Some Olive Oil (You know what kind)
Some Olives (Simple Black or Kalamata work really great here pitted please.....OH and you go with canned black olives, SAVE a wee bit of the juice for the dressing)
FG Pepper Sea Salt (Course not fine)
Some Tomatoes (Grape, Cherry, Roma...whatever you have on hand)
Artichoke hearts...if you have them? Sure why not!
Nuts? Almond? Walnut? Go for it!

Here's what I had on hand: TPC NOTE: Just for clarification when I use the term "some" here I mean you will have to eyeball. This dish is about presentation and eyeballing. So have all your ingredients ready to go and as you're assembling put just enough but not too much in each bowl. You'll see what I mean as you make this. It's easier than it sounds. Would I give you something hard to do?

In a very large serving bowl or separate bowls combine the lettuce, beans, olives, tomatoes and onions. Give it a quick toss. Juice your lemon (remember to roll it first!) and drizzle over your salad. Follow with some olive oil. Coat but don't soak! And now the little secret....drizzle on some of the juice from the canned black olives (room temp if possible)....no one will ever guess and it's a wonderful mysterious flavor.

Grind the pepper and sprinkle on the coarse sea salt (course gives such a better texture to the salad). Take a peeler and slowly peel some of the Parmesan on to the salad. You can grate but not as impressive visually. If you are going with another cheese. Cubes are fine too. And if you really have a need for meat, tear up some Prosciutto, Speck, Serrano or even some Black Forrest Ham. Like below:
Nice. Simple. Quick. Healthy and of course very tasty. Great for lunch or a light dinner. And quite filling....

WINE NOTE: Here you can go with a nice Pinot, Chardonnay, Riesling.....orrrr....What ever you like to drink! Most reds go nicely here.

Enjoy, have fun....and eat well!

TPC