cheese and pepper pasta (or spaghetti cacio e pepe)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1lb dried spaghetti
  • ¼cup olive oil
  • 2tbsp butter
  • 4oz grated Pecorino Romano cheese
  • 2tsp fresh cracked black pepper
  • salt (optional)
Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil Aad salt (to flavor pasta) and pasta. Cook until al dente. Reserve 1½ cups of pasta water before draining pasta.
  2. Dry out pot used to cook pasta and add olive oil. Bring to almost smoking point over hight heat. Add pasta and 1 cup of reserved water. Stand back as this will splatter.
  3. Lower heat to medium and add butter and ¾ of cheese. Toss until pasta is coated. Add pepper and toss again.
  4. Remove from heat and taste. Decide what you need more of (pasta too dry - add some reserved water, not spicy enough - add pepper, etc..). Watch the salt though as the cheese is very salty on it's own.
  5. Serve with remaining cheese, more pepper and a little drizzle of olive oil if you're into that kind of thing.
Recipe by pretty plain janes at https://prettyplainjanes.com/2015/05/14/cheese-and-pepper-pasta-or-spaghetti-cacio-e-pepe/