Pasta Cacio E Pepe With Dandelion Cicoria Aka Chicory Recipes

PASTA CACIO E PEPE

Steps:

• Dry fry the roughly ground pepper corns in a small frying pan until they start to release their aroma.
• Put a pot of water onto boil for the pasta. Use a bit less water than you would normally. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.
• Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Take a ladleful of the pasta cooking water and add to the pepper corns. Then keep aside another cupful of the cooking water, drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the peppercorns. I drain the pasta 'wet' meaning it should still have some water with it. Mix the pasta with the pepper.
• Add the grated pecorino continue mixing very well until the cheese starts to become creamy.
• If too dry add a little more of the cooking water. If too liquid add more cheese.
• Serve on heated plates, topped with more grated pecorino and another generous sprinkling of pepper.

PASTA CACIO E PEPE WITH DANDELION (CICORIA AKA CHICORY)

Steps:

• Wash and sort the dandelion leaves and rinse well, but don't dry them. Chop the leaves into pieces.
• Heat about 1/4 cup (2 oz) of water to boiling in a small, lidded pot. Add the dandelion and cover to steam for a few minutes, turning the leaves a few times. Make sure the water doesn't completely evaporate, and cook tender leaves for about 6 to 7 minutes, longer for tougher leaves.
• Remove from heat and drain if there's any water left in the bottom, then squeeze the rest of the water from the greens. Place in a small food processor with a few pinches of salt, and purée.
• Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, except use less water than usual. It's important to have lots of starch for this dish.
• Put the extra virgin olive oil and a small amount of the pasta water into a non-stick skillet, or wok, without turning on the burner. Add the grated cheese and pepper.
• Add the pasta using a pasta fork (do not drain the pasta in a colander), and begin stirring the pasta with a wooden fork off the heat. If heat is used, you will end up with clumps of cheese on the pasta. (See my video from my lesson in Italy HERE.)
• Continue to add water as necessary until a sauce begins to form on the pasta. Loreto (who taught me how to make this dish) says that sometimes the simplest dishes are the most difficult. If this step is not done correctly, the sauce won't turn out as it should.
• Now add the puréed dandelion and mix well.
• You can add a little at a time to see how much you like. This is definitely a flexible recipe. If you only use half of the dandelion, freeze the other half for another time.
• Serve immediately.

CACIO E PEPE

Steps:

• In a pan just wide enough to hold the pasta, place enough water to fill the pan 1 inch from the bottom. Season the water with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Spread the pasta in the pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Allow the pasta water to reduce; do not add more, as you want the starchy water to be minimal when the remaining ingredients are added.
• Meanwhile, add the coarse black pepper to a separate small pan over medium heat. Toast a minute or two until fragrant.
• Once the pasta is al dente and the pasta water has reduced so only a slight coating remains at the bottom of the pan, turn off the heat and add the toasted ground black pepper and Pecorino-Romano. Stir and toss vigorously until both ingredients are well incorporated into the pasta. Toss in the olive oil and season with salt.
• Transfer the pasta to a large bowl and garnish with more black pepper, Pecorino-Romano and extra-virgin olive oil.

CACIO E PEPE (CHEESE AND PEPPER PASTA)

Steps:

• Bring a 12-quart pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 2 cups of cooking water.
• Return pasta and cooking water to the pot over low heat. Add 3 1/2 cups Pecorino Romano cheese, butter, and pepper. Stir until cheese has melted and formed a creamy sauce, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.
• Serve with additional cheese, if desired.

CACIO E PEPE PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid before draining.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam from the butter subsides. Add the pepper and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add the pasta and up to 3/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid, tossing to coat. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top and continue to cook, tossing, until the cheese is melted and the pasta is well coated, about 2 minutes. Add a little more of the cooking liquid to loosen, if necessary. Season with salt and divide among 4 bowls. Serve with additional Parmesan and pepper.

SPAGHETTI CACIO E PEPE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Scoop out some of the cooking water and reserve. Drain spaghetti.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and pepper; cook and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add spaghetti and Pecorino Romano cheese. Ladle in 1/2 cup of reserved cooking water; stir until cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Add more cooking water until sauce coats spaghetti, about 1 minute more.

CACIO E PEPE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta for 2 mins less than pack instructions state, in salted boiling water. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium frying pan over a low heat, then add the ground black pepper and toast for a few minutes.
• Drain the pasta, keeping 200ml of the pasta water. Tip the pasta and 100ml of the pasta water into the pan with the butter and pepper. Toss briefly, then scatter over the parmesan evenly, but don't stir - wait for the cheese to melt for 30 seconds, then once melted, toss everything well, and stir together. This prevents the cheese from clumping or going stringy and makes a smooth, shiny sauce. Add a splash more pasta water if you need to, to loosen the sauce and coat the pasta. Serve immediately with a good grating of black pepper.