Cacio E Pepe E Zucca Food

CACIO E PEPE PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid before draining.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam from the butter subsides. Add the pepper and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add the pasta and up to 3/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid, tossing to coat. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top and continue to cook, tossing, until the cheese is melted and the pasta is well coated, about 2 minutes. Add a little more of the cooking liquid to loosen, if necessary. Season with salt and divide among 4 bowls. Serve with additional Parmesan and pepper.

CACIO E PEPE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt lightly. Add the pasta and cook until not quite al dente and still quite chewy, 5 to 6 minutes. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water, then drain.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When melted, add the garlic and 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water and bring to a simmer. Grind in a generous amount of pepper. Add the pasta and remaining 3 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Stir to combine and let the pasta start to simmer. Begin adding the Parmesan a handful at a time, tossing the pasta with each addition and adding more pepper if desired. Remove from the heat and continue to toss the pasta until well coated, thinning with the extra pasta water if needed. Taste and add more pepper if desired. Divide among bowls and garnish with the parsley. Serve with more Parmesan on the side.

CACIO E PEPE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta for 2 mins less than pack instructions state, in salted boiling water. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium frying pan over a low heat, then add the ground black pepper and toast for a few minutes.
• Drain the pasta, keeping 200ml of the pasta water. Tip the pasta and 100ml of the pasta water into the pan with the butter and pepper. Toss briefly, then scatter over the parmesan evenly, but don't stir - wait for the cheese to melt for 30 seconds, then once melted, toss everything well, and stir together. This prevents the cheese from clumping or going stringy and makes a smooth, shiny sauce. Add a splash more pasta water if you need to, to loosen the sauce and coat the pasta. Serve immediately with a good grating of black pepper.

LEMONY CACIO E PEPE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti al dente according to package directions. Reserve 2 cups of pasta water and drain.
• Add 4 tablespoons of the butter to a large, straight-sided pan and heat over medium. Once melted, add the pepper and toast for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Add in about 1 1/4 cups of the reserved pasta water and the lemon zest, bring to a light simmer. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the cooked spaghetti, Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Using tongs or two wooden spoons, toss the pasta and cheese together, incorporating about 1/2 additional cup more pasta water. Keep tossing the pasta until the cheese has completely melted and the sauce is silky and coating the pasta, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and chives and toss to combine. Serve immediately, topped with extra Pecorino Romano and black pepper.

CACIO E PEPE GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until easily pierced with a knife, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. Peel the potatoes and pass through a ricer onto a clean surface in a thin layer (do not mound the riced potatoes). Let cool completely, at least 10 minutes.
• Combine 1 teaspoon salt, the finely ground pepper and the nutmeg in a small bowl; sprinkle over the riced potatoes. Drizzle the beaten egg over the potatoes, then sprinkle with 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup pecorino. Chop the potato mixture with a bench scraper, turning the mixture onto itself until it just starts to come together. Lightly dust the dough with flour and knead, adding up to 1/4 cup more flour if needed, until the dough is almost smooth and slightly wet but not sticky. Form the dough into a ball.
• Cut the dough into 4 pieces using the bench scraper; keep covered with a kitchen towel until ready to use. Cut 1 piece of dough in half; dust with flour and gently roll each half into a 1/2-inch-thick rope. Cut each rope into 1/2-inch pieces with the bench scraper or a sharp knife and dust with flour. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Line 2 baking sheets with clean kitchen towels; dust with flour. Lightly flour your hands and roll each piece of dough between your palms to make a small ball. One at a time, place each dough ball on the tines of a fork closest to the handle and hold it in place with a floured thumb. In one gentle motion, quickly press and roll the dough along the tines toward the tip of the fork. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets. (The uncooked gnocchi can be frozen at this point. Freeze on the baking sheets until firm, then transfer to a resealable plastic bag and freeze up to 3 weeks.)
• Preheat the broiler and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Stir in the coarsely ground pepper and cook until toasted, about 30 seconds. Add 3/4 cup of the boiling water. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Working in batches, shake the gnocchi in a colander to remove any excess flour, then add to the pot of boiling water and cook until the gnocchi float to the top, about 2 minutes. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon or spider and transfer to the skillet with the butter sauce, off the heat. Once all the gnocchi are in the skillet, stir to coat and return the skillet to medium heat. Bring the sauce to a boil, adding up to 1/4 cup of the cooking water if the gnocchi seem dry. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup each pecorino and parmesan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup each pecorino and parmesan over the top. Transfer the skillet to the broiler and broil until browned and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes.

CACIO E PEPE WITH FRESH CORN

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water and the corn cobs to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package instructions.
• While the pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet or large braiser over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the breadcrumbs and garlic powder and stir to completely coat the breadcrumbs. Cook, stirring frequently, until the breadcrumbs are toasted and light brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Wipe the skillet clean.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in the cleaned skillet over medium heat until the butter melts. Increase the heat to medium high. Add a generous amount of black pepper, at least 1 teaspoon, and cook until the pepper is very fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the corn kernels and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until the corn is softened and turns bright yellow, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the Pecorino Romano to a large heatproof bowl. Pour in about 1 1/2 cups of the hot pasta water and stir vigorously until the cheese melts into a smooth sauce.
• Remove the pasta from the boiling water with tongs to the skillet with the corn and toss to coat. Remove from the heat. Add the cheese sauce to the skillet and toss to coat, adding more pasta water as needed to keep it saucy. Add more pepper to taste. Top with more cheese and breadcrumbs, reserving some crumbs for plating. Sprinkle with the basil, parsley, chile and even more black pepper if desired. Drizzle with oil. Plate and sprinkle with more breadcrumbs.

CACIO E PEPE

Steps:

• In a pan just wide enough to hold the pasta, place enough water to fill the pan 1 inch from the bottom. Season the water with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Spread the pasta in the pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Allow the pasta water to reduce; do not add more, as you want the starchy water to be minimal when the remaining ingredients are added.
• Meanwhile, add the coarse black pepper to a separate small pan over medium heat. Toast a minute or two until fragrant.
• Once the pasta is al dente and the pasta water has reduced so only a slight coating remains at the bottom of the pan, turn off the heat and add the toasted ground black pepper and Pecorino-Romano. Stir and toss vigorously until both ingredients are well incorporated into the pasta. Toss in the olive oil and season with salt.
• Transfer the pasta to a large bowl and garnish with more black pepper, Pecorino-Romano and extra-virgin olive oil.

PASTA ALLA CACIO E PEPE

Steps:

• Place finely grated Pecorino Romano in medium bowl. Set colander inside large bowl.
• Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and salt; cook, stirring frequently, until al dente (or according to package directions). Drain pasta into colander, reserving cooking water. Pour 1 1/2 cups cooking water into liquid measuring cup and discard remainder. Return pasta to now-empty bowl.
• Slowly whisk 1 cup of reserved pasta water into finely grated Pecorino until smooth. Whisk in cream, oil, and black pepper. Gradually pour mixture over pasta, tossing to coat. Let pasta rest 1 to 2 minutes, tossing frequently, adjusting consistency with remaining pasta water. Serve, passing coarsely grated Pecorino separately.

CACIO E PEPE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta al dente; drain. Put the put back on the stove. Immediately sprinkle the finely grated cheese over the pasta, and mix in some of the water used to boil the pasta, until the cheese melts into a light, almost watery, creamy sauce. Grate pepper on top.