How’s your day been so far? We hope that you are doing well at home amidst social distancing and self-isolation. In a time where home cooking plays an important role in our daily lives, Ubud Food Festival Presented by ABC launched a new series, Quarantine Kitchen. In this series, we will showcase simple recipes that you can follow at home, featuring our own Festival team. We hope that this video series can bring great additions to your home cooking.
Today, Janet DeNeefe is taking you to Rome with a pasta dish that she enjoyed at the renowned Flavio’s. Cacio e pepe or cheese and pepper, is a simple dish that only needs a few ingredients, but can give a sublime result. It epitomises Italian cuisine, emphasizing on simplicity and the use of the finest ingredients.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons sea salt
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
170 gr pasta such as tonarelli, tagliolini, bucatini, or spaghetti
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan
¼-½ cup pasta water
Extra cheese for garnish
Methods;
1. Boil 2½ litres of water in a large pot. Season with salt and olive oil; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain, reserving ¾ cup of pasta cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, mix the black pepper with cheese. Place them in a blender and add water, little by little, until you have a smooth paste. Check the flavor and suit it to your taste.
3. Add two to three heaped tablespoons of the paste to the pasta and ¼ cup of warm pasta water. Mix together quickly until the sauce is creamy.
4. Add more pasta water if the pasta is too dry, as the texture should be creamy.
5. Place into serving bowls and add extra cheese for additional flavor.
