Apples For Dinner: Cacio e Pepe

Cheese and pepper and pasta. Such a basic recipe calls for the best ingredients. I've searched my NYC neighborhood high and low for the freshest cheese, and sadly on far too many occasions (okay, basically on every occasion) I've purchased cheeses that have been suffocated in plastic wrap until they taste of nothing natural or good. So it was with high hopes that I went to Eataly, a sort of Disneyland for those in NYC who love Italian food. Eataly claims Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali among its many partners. The NYC store is absolutely huge, and includes several restaurants, a cheese counter, a meat shop, a cured meat counter, a coffee bar, a wine bar, a dessert shop, a bread shop, a dry goods shop, a produce station, a book store, a kitchen supply shop, etc, etc, etc. You name it, if it's Italian and you can cook it, it's probably at Eataly (with a few notable exceptions). As expected I was not disappointed by the quality of the cheese, or the pasta. It was, as they say, worth the trip.

This is a nice time to suggest that most cheeses should be wrapped in parchment or waxed paper once you get them home, and stored in a separate container in the fridge. This allows them to breathe. Click here or here or here for a more in-depth discussion on this topic. And this link here provides good information on how to determine if your cheese has gone bad.

Cacio e Pepe translates as "cheese and pepper." This dish, common in Rome, is traditionally made with a cheese called Cacio de Roma (which sadly, Eataly does not sell, highlighting one of the many ways in which the store cannot compete with the more traditional shops in Little Italy, which do carry the cheese), though this can be substituted with the more readily available, Grana Padano. The other ingredients are easy enough to find, and are so very Italian: Pecorino Romano, pasta, olive oil, and a large helping of fresh ground pepper. Now, with all of this pepper, this dish has a bit heat to it, perfect for warming up on a cold winter's night. Serve with a bright arugula salad, dressed simply with some good balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

The recipe below has been adapted from a version printed in the April 2010 edition of Saveur.

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

6 ounces pasta, preferably bucatini, tonnarelli, or spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly cracked, coarsely ground pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 + 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
1/2 cup finely grated Cacio de Roma or Grana Padano

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers.
Add pepper to the oil; cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Carefully ladle 1/2 cup of pasta water into the skillet and bring to a boil.
Transfer pasta to skillet; spread evenly.
Sprinkle with a 1/2 cup each of Pecorino and Cacio de Roma; toss vigorously with tongs to combine until the sauce is creamy and clings to the pasta without clumping, about 2 minutes, adding a little pasta water if necessary.
Plate the pasta and sprinkle with the remaining Pecorino and more pepper to your liking.

Drink: Serve with a peppery Cote du Rhone or a medium-bodied Cabernet.