Cacio e Pepe

When it comes to pasta, sometimes a few ingredients is all ya need.

There's a ton of controversy over the way this dish is supposed to be made so I will start of by saying that this is my personal version and the way that I prefer to eat cacio e pepe! I've gotten tons of comments about how it's wrong that I use butter but, I love butter and that doesn't feel wrong to me. I will say that it's super clutch to use fresh cracked black pepper - I usually buy whole black peppercorns and crack them myself with the edge of a large knife or mortar and pestle. 

What You Need

• Bucatini pasta (I made half of a standard sized box and it was enough for two.)
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup pasta water 
• 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan-reggiano cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
• 1 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
• Optional: poached egg

What To Do

1. Prepare pasta according to package instructions, be sure to put a pinch or two of salt into the water.
2. Melt the butter in a skillet on medium heat and add in the fresh cracked black pepper. Cook in the butter until the pepper is fragrant and you can smell it - turn the heat to super low once that happens because you don't want to burn it.
3. Shred both kinds of cheese and combine/set aside in a bowl so it's ready to go when the pasta is done. (If you want a more authentic version, only use the pecorino romano cheese and double up the portion of it to fill in for the missing parm.)
4. Add the cooked pasta straight into the butter and pepper mixture after cooking. Don't drain it - the pasta water that will come out of the pot with it will be good for the sauce. 
5. Pour about half of the cheese and 1/4 cup of the starchy pasta water into the skillet with the pasta and toss around to combine. (The skillet heat should still be on low.) 
6. After combined, add in the other half of cheese and another 1/4 cup of pasta water. (You can add more pasta water to loosen the sauce up, and add more cheese to thicken the sauce up.)
7. Top with more cheese and crushed black pepper. 
8. EAT!