Anthony Bourdain Special (2/4): Cacio e Pepe, Rome's Pepper Pasta

 

Second part of the Anthony Bourdain special: cacio e pepe, the Roman pasta he loved. His story with the dish and the step-by-step recipe.

We continue the special dedicated to Anthony Bourdain, celebrating International Chefs Day and the arrival of  Anthony's Biopic , "Tony" on Prime Video on October 26. After the steak frites, it's time for pasta.

Cacio e pepe, which means "cheese and pepper," became his favorite pasta. In season 6 of No Reservations, Bourdain visited Rome for the first time and fell for the dish. He tried it at Roma Sparita, in the Trastevere neighborhood, and

the fame he gave the restaurant ended up filling its little square with lines. It is the kind of cooking he defended: three ingredients and a lot of technique.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 200 g spaghetti or tonnarelli
• 100 g pecorino romano, very finely grated
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns, freshly crushed
• Coarse salt, very little, only for the water
• 1 cup of the pasta cooking water

Instructions

1. Toast the crushed pepper in a dry pan over medium heat for 1 minute, until fragrant.

2. Cook the pasta in lightly salted water and take it out 2 minutes before the time on the package. Keep a cup of the cooking water.

3. Move the pasta to the pan with the pepper and a little cooking water. Stir over low heat for 1 minute.

4. Remove from the heat. Add the pecorino little by little, stirring vigorously and adding cooking water until you get a creamy sauce.

5. Serve right away, with more pepper on top.

Tips

• Grate the pecorino finely and don't use powdered cheese, or it will clump.
• Always add the cheese off the heat so it doesn't split.
• If the sauce gets too thick, add a little more cooking water.

Next in the special (3/4): the negroni.