L'Italo-Americano

LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano their flock, always had with them dried pasta and pep- per, making them the staple of their daily nutrition: they were cheap, easy to carry and didn't go off. With all t h o s e s h e e p , c h e e s e w a s abundant and free, too, so it comes as no surprise it beca- me the third key ingredient in this simple, well balanced c u l i n a r y c r e a t i o n . Alessandra Argiolas, marke- ting manager for Argiolas Formaggi explained to BBC Travel's Emily Monaco that the dish was perfect for peo- ple who had a job as tireso- m e a n d h a r d a s t h e shepherds: "black pepper directly stimulates the heat receptors and helped the shepherds to protect them- selves from the cold, and the p a s t a g u a r a n t e e d a l o t o f energy." The proteins and m i n e r a l s o f t h e p e c o r i n o would also have helped. While the romantic idea of shepherds gathering around the fire in the evening eating cacio e pepe is worthy of a V e r i s m o n o v e l , s o m e a r e convinced it doesn't corre- s p o n d t o t h e t r u t h a t a l l . L i v i t a l y T o u r s ' m a n a g e r Angelo Carotenuto, who also spoke to the people of BBC Travel, maintains that cacio e p e p e , j u s t l i k e o t h e r famous pasta dishes like car- b o n a r a a n d a m a t r i c i a n a didn't originate in a pastoral milieu, but rather among the miners and factory workers of Rome and its surroun- dings, making of it a quintes- sential low-income people's dish. And honestly, there wouldn't be nothing wrong with that, either. W h e n y o u t h i n k o f i t , however, very little changes in the genesis of the dish, beside the actual location: key to it remains the fact all ingredients are easily acces- sible, cheap and can last l o n g . C a r o t e n u t o f u r t h e r explains that, likely, cacio e pepe is not that old of a reci- pe, either, because pasta didn't really become a thing outside of the South of Italy until the Unification, which took place in 1861. Granted, it may be that, in Rome, people knew spaghetti a tad earlier than that, thanks to the proximity to southern c u l i n a r y h o t s p o t s l i k e N a p l e s , y e t , w e a r e n o t looking at a dish known in the hills and mountains of central Italy — nor in the country's capital — during t h e M i d d l e A g e s o r t h e Renaissance. Truth is, when it comes to cacio e pepe, origins don't matter: thanks to its flavor, it became the stuff of legends anyway. While there have been some variations on the t h e m e — L a F u c i n a i n London adds shaved truffle on top, while Cacio e Pepe restaurant in New York likes t o s e r v e i t i n a p e c o r i n o wheel — cacio e pepe became and remains iconic for its simplicity: it's just a case of something that turned out perfect the first time around. So, let's see how to prepa- re a perfect cacio e pepe! Ingredients for four people: 320 gr (about 0.70 lbs) of spaghetti (we'll stick with spaghetti here, but if you come across tonnarelli, go ahead!) 200 gr (7 oz) of grated pecorino Romano Two ground tbsp of black peppercorns Salt D o n ' t t h r o w a w a y t h e water you cooked your pasta into! Bring water to the boil for your pasta. Some advise to use a bit less water than you would usually, so it is richer in starch, but it's really up to you. Of course, don't forget to add salt when the water begins to boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is very al dente: as part of the cooking process will take place in the sauce- pan with the pecorino, don't worry if your spaghetti seem harder than you'd like. In a saucepan, put half of the ground peppercorns and toast it on low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, then add a couple of ladlefuls of the pasta water. Drain your pasta, making s u r e y o u k e e p t h e w a t e r aside, and add it to the pep- percorns in the saucepan. As mentioned, make sure the pasta is really al dente, even a tad harder than your usual al dente is: it'll keep cooking in the sauce, and you don't want to end up with mushy cacio e pepe! Using a spoon or, even b e t t e r , a p a i r o f k i t c h e n t o n g s , m o v e t h e p a s t a around the saucepan, adding some cooking water while you go: basically you want to "risottare" the pasta, that is, adding water when it dries as you'd do with risotto, until it's ready. In the meanwhile, put half of the pecorino in a bowl and a d d a l a d l e f u l o f c o o k i n g water, then mix well with a whisk, adding, little by little, the rest of the pecorino and more water, to reach a consi- stency similar to that of dou- ble cream. It's important to add both pecorino and water carefully to obtain the right texture, and also to whisk energetically, as you don't want to end up with a lumpy sauce. When the pasta is ready in the saucepan, turn off the heat and add the pecorino cream. If it's been sitting there for a while and got too t h i c k , y o u c a n a d d a t a d m o r e w a t e r t o m a k e i t creamy again. The water will also warm up the sauce, in case it got cold. Mix well the pasta and the pecorino cream with the kit- chen tongs or with two forks. Add some extra pecorino and the rest of the ground peppercorn Serve and enjoy! The ingredients for a good cacio e pepe: nothing more than pasta, peppercorn and pecorino Romano (Photo: Dreamstime) Continued from page 26

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