A No-Skillet Pasta Sauce

Cacio e Pepe is one of the simplest and yet tastiest pasta dishes in my repertoire.

 

Cacio e Pepe means “cheese and pepper” and it is one of the simplest and yet tastiest pasta dishes in my repertoire. It requires no skillet for making the sauce. Pasta without a skillet sauce? That’s right! Drain one pound of cooked pasta, then in a warm bowl toss the pasta with coarsely grated pecorino cheese and a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water. Drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil over the pasta and sprinkle plenty of coarsely grated black pepper on top. Serve it piping hot. This is an easy, satisfying dish that you can make on days when you need simplicity in your life but still want a wallop of flavor. But because it is such a minimalist creation every ingredient is of utmost importance. Use a very good authentic Pecorino, such as Pecorino Romano produced in Lazio (the Italian region where Rome is located), Tuscany, or Sardegna. The cheese is at its best when aged only 8-10 months.