Rrrroma! The only way to pronounce Rome, is to roll your R’s–obviously. I’ve been to Rome a handful of times, and each time is better than the last. I mean, it’s Italy people!!
The last time I was in Rome, some friends and I went to a cute little cucina italiana that was all brick, and all rustic and all amazing. I didn’t know what I wanted to eat that night, but I wanted something really good. I asked the chef for recommendations and he said “Cacio o Pepe!” I had seen it on the menu. The english translation: Cheese and Pepper Pasta. I’ll be honest, the translation was not that exciting and while I was super hesitant… I went for it.
It’s apparent that I didn’t know pasta before that night. That was it! That was the night I fell in love with the simplest, most delicious pasta in existence.
Cacio e pepe was served in a cheese bowl. Yes! A cheese bowl and that’s when I knew, before I even tasted it, that it was going to be amazing.
Ingredients
- 4 servings spaghetti noodles
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup shredded parmesan
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- Pasta water
- Fresh black pepper
Instructions
- Boil the spaghetti as you normally would with salt
- Once boiled to al dente, strain all but about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water. Keep it in with the noodles
- Turn heat to very low then Stir in the butter
- As the butter melts, stir in the parmesan cheeses until melted and combined
- Turn off heat, serve immediately and top with a generous amount of fresh black pepper
