Cacio E Pepe with Spring Greens

Cacio E Pepe with spring greens

Cacio e pepe — Italian for “cheese and pepper” — is a simple dish at heart: cooked dried macaroni noodle (“macaroni” is a generic term for dried pasta), a simple butter sauce, grated cheese and the zest of freshly ground black pepper. It is simple, but often the simplest things are the hardest to master.

1 pound spaghetti pasta 1/2 cup pasta water 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces 2 teaspoons black pepper 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese 1/2 cup pea tendril tops

1. Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as per the manufacturer’s directions.

2. As the pasta cooks, use a ladle to pull off one cup of the pasta water. (I grab the water from the top where it foams; this has the highest amount of starch.)

3. Drain the pasta when it is al dente (ﬁrm to the bite).

4. Once you have the pasta water in hand, add a half-cup of it to a medium-sized saucepot and bring the combination to a hard simmer. Add the salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and begin to whisk in the butter, one piece at a time (the butter is cut small to make sure it emulsiﬁes before melting).

5. Add the remaining half-cup of reserved pasta water to a large skillet and bring to a simmer. Add pasta and toss to gently loosen and awaken the ﬂexibility of the pasta. Turn off the heat and add the beurre monté sauce and the grated cheeses. Stir and toss with tongs or a fork until the cheese melts and the sauce coats the pasta evenly.

6. To serve, divide the pasta among four warm bowls and sprinkle each bowl with the pea tendrils and a crack or two of fresh black pepper.