L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES FRANCESCA BEZZONE T he late Anthony Bourdain noto- riously said once t h a t p a s t a c a c i o e p e p e "could be the greatest thing in the history of the world." And how could you say he was wrong? I still remember the first time I had a plate of cacio e pepe: it was manicotti, I was 25 and I wondered why I waited a quarter of a cen- tury to try it. Truth is, that wasn't a dish we'd eat nor- mally in my family, where spaghetti aglio e olio, or plain and simple pasta al pomodoro fresco were the most common options when there wasn't time to potter around in the kitchen too much. Yes, because the first t h i n g t h a t s t r i k e s a b o u t cacio e pepe is its simpli- c i t y : t h r e e i n g r e d i e n t s , nothing more, and they are a l l t h e r e i n t h e n a m e , i n plain view. If you're familiar with Rome and its people, y o u ' l l k n o w t h a t c a c i o i s cheese; then there is pepe, black pepper, aromatic and spicy, to give just the right kick to the dish. Last, but not least, some of the star- chy water you cooked your pasta in. To be fair, cacio e pepe h a s b e e n e n j o y i n g s o m e g o u r m e t p o p u l a r i t y i n r e c e n t y e a r s , p r o b a b l y b e c a u s e o f t h e o n g o i n g trend, also among famous chefs, to offer traditional, c u c i n a p o v e r a d i s h e s i n their high end, Michelin- starred restaurants — it is a staple at three-starred La P e r g o l a , i n R o m e , f o r instance. B u t w h a t d o w e k n o w about pasta cacio e pepe? Well, personally, I know it's really good: tangy peco- rino Romano (the cheese most commonly used for it) gets creamy thanks to the a d d i t i o n o f s o m e o f t h e pasta's cooking water, while the pepper just gives it the r i g h t v a - v a - v o o m . A d d g o o d , a l d e n t e p a s t a a n d you'll get a dish that is sati- sfying, hearty and comfor- ting: a success every time. It's incredible, when you think of it, that all that crea- miness comes from a ladle- ful of water, but that's the truth: and don't you dare add any butter or, god for- bid, cream — a known vil- l a i n i n a n o t h e r f a m o u s Italian recipe, that for car- bonara — because you'd be immediately stripped of all o f y o u r I t a l i a n b r o w n i e p o i n t s b y r e l a t i v e s a n d friends. W h e n i t c o m e s t o t h e right pasta shape, however, you may have some more freedom: popular belief is that cacio e pepe goes hand in hand with spaghetti, but actually that isn't entirely r i g h t . L i d i a B a s t i a n i c h explained to Alyssa Jung of Chowhound that the original cacio e pepe pasta was ton- narelli, a type of long, sli- ghtly flattened egg noodle, sort of a mix between spa- ghetti and tagliatelle. But cacio e pepe isn't only g o o d t o e a t , i t a l s o h a s a pretty interesting history, which someone, however, contests. Let's see why. Legends say that, once u p o n a t i m e , t h e s h e p h e r d s o f t h e Apennines, who'd spend considerable lengths of time on mountain pastures with The real secret of cacio e pepe is its simplicity (Photo: Dreamstime) The delicious surprise of cacio e pepe Continued to page 28

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