HEIDI: Hi, something smells good.
MANDATORY, HOMECOMING
ANTHONY: It’s cacio e pepe.
It’s award season again and I’ve been binge watching so many shows, I feel like my head is spinning. One show that I’ve been loving (can you guess?) is the Amazon original, Homecoming, starring Julia Roberts, Stephan James, and Bobby Cannavale. This show is from the same creators as, Mr Robot, so I knew immediately that I needed to watch it.
This recipe for cacio e pepe comes from the first episode of the season when Heidi returns home from work and her boyfriend, Anthony, is cooking dinner for her.
I remember first hearing the dish, cacio e pepe, a few years ago while watching Anthony Bourdain’s Rome episode, The dish was simple and only took a few ingredients but it was obvious that technique and quality ingredients really made the dish shine.
I tried a few recipes for cacio e pepe and the one I really favored was the one from Food Lover’s Odyssey. The recipe below is from the blog and I highly suggest you take a little visit! As you probably noticed, I omitted the parmesan cup just to stay true to what was in the episode. Please enjoy.
Homecoming: Cacio e Pepe
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound spaghetti pasta
- 6 cups water
- 2 cups pasta water
- 1 tbsp freshly ground, coarse black pepper
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Instructions
- Bring the 6 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt the water and once it comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 minutes.
- About two minutes before the pasta is done cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and ground pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
- Transfer the pasta to the pan with the butter and pepper. Toss to coat and gradually add the pasta water to the pan as it continues to absorb it. Remove the pan from the heat and add one cup of the grated cheese and immediately stir to create a creamy consistency.
- Add a bit more pasta water if it starts to clump or dry. Serve immediately with more cheese and freshly ground pepper on top.
