There are four main pastas that you’ll see on nearly every restaurant menu in Rome. The first, and probably most famous, is pasta carbonara which features a sauce of egg yolk (or whole egg depending on who you’re talking to), Pecorino Romano cheese and guanciale (cured pig jowl, or as I like to call it, cheek bacon). Second is my favorite, cacio e pepe, followed by gricia, which is essentially cacio e pepe with guanciale. Finally, there is Amatriciana, which is made with tomatoes, guanciale, and Pecorino Romano. Usually these fab four are made with long noodles such as spaghetti or bucatini (spaghetti with a hole in it like a straw – particularly popular with Amatriciana sauce), but sometimes you’ll see short tube pastas like rigatoni, especially with gricia. All four pasta dishes are absolutely delicious when executed well and made with high quality ingredients, and I would not turn down a plate of any of them…but cacio e pepe has a special place in my heart. It’s simple, it comes together in mere minutes, and is exactly the type of comfort food you want to eat after a long day (or long night – it’s an ideal midnight snack!).
Ingredients in Cacio e Pepe
Because there are only a few ingredients in this dish, it is important that they are high quality. Splurge a bit on high quality dried pasta. Noodles that are extruded from a traditional bronze die typically have a slightly rough exterior that holds onto sauce better, and they release more of their starches into the pasta water, which helps to emulsify the sauce. Also, ensure that you buy real Pecorino Romano – a sheeps milk cheese made only in certain parts of Italy. Cheeses labeled just “Romano” are typically made from cows milk and are a poor imitation of real Pecorino Romano. They’re not nearly as tangy and can be quite one note, meaning the finished dish will lack depth of flavor. Finally, be sure you’re using freshly ground or crushed pepper as these processes help to release oils and therefore flavors in the peppercorns.
