Of simplicity and complexity: pasta cacio e pepe

Last night, Annalena was watching a television program (on the food network, of course), and someone said the following: "just because it's complex doesn't mean it tastes good."

RIGHT ON LADY. Complex dishes CAN BE delicious, but frequently, I get the feeling that a cook will make a dish complex just to hide some perceived deficiency in it. When dishes are simple, there is no way to hide that deficiency, and it is by way of that discussion that we move to the recipe of the blog, pasta cacio e pepe.

To start, a bit of an Italian lesson. Most of you will know, or have heard, the word "formaggio" as the Italian word for cheese, and indeed, that is correct. BUT.... before "formaggio," and still today, in some parts of Italy, "cacio" means cheese. It is an old word, coming almost directly out of Latin. Linguistic disputants will say that one uses "cacio" for younger cheeses, and formaggio for older harder ones. So be it, if you like.
To complicate this, there is a family of cheeses that are called, "cacio." Sheep's milk cheeses, Annalena likes to refer to them as pecorino's younger brother. You don't see them often, and sometimes you don't see them at all. Annalena remembers making this dish with a new friend, in Upstate New York. He was from Argentina, of Italian parents. When I pulled out the piece of "cacio di roma," his eyes got REALLY big. He had never seen it before, but knew of it. If you are fortunate to have a good cheese monger (and Annalena has such, at Murray's cheese. She buys it from Lauren who wears a tshirt saying "what a friend we have in cheeses." Indeed, we do), get some, and try it.

Ok, so we have cacio. But if you can't find it, remember that pecorino is, as I have said, the older brother. Use a pecorino cheese, preferably romano, and if you don't have that, then parmagiano reggiano will do fine. Do know that both of these cheeses are stronger, and they will make a saltier dish.

"Pepe." You know what that is, don't you? Black pepper. Now, I bet many of you don't know that there are different grades and types of black pepper. Again, get to know a good purveyor, at a spices shop. Again, Annalena is fortunate enough to work with the folks at Penzey's, and gets telcherry peppercorns. You need whole ones for this dish, no question about it.

Finally, pasta and water. This is one where dried pasta is really necessary. By the time you finish the dish, if you were to use fresh pasta, it would be a mess. You need the resiliency of dried pasta, and a long one: spaghetti, fettucine, tagliatelle, something like that.

There's your list of ingredients: cheese, pepper, pasta, water. No way to hide behind that, so get the best you can.

Now, here we go. Plan on 3-4 ounces of dried pasta per person, and probably 2-3 ounces of cheese. Pepper? For 2-4 people, I would say a scant two tablespoons of peppercorns, but if you like the stuff, use more.

Grate the cheese while the pasta is cooking in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water, keeping in mind, as Lidia says "pasta needs to dance." Crush the peppercorns with the back of a heavy object, like a meat pounder, or a rolling pin, something like that. IF you have time and the inclination, toast them in some hot olive oil for about two minutes and drain them before you do the crushing step.

Have a large pan ready, and when the pasta is not quite done, pull out a cup of the hot pasta water, and pour it into the pan. Reserve another cup, just in case. Now, drain the pasts, and toss it into that pan, and put it over a low flame. Start adding the cheese, and stir the stuff until the cheese melts.

It is quite likely that the cheese will clump up before it dissolves. That's fine. You didn't do anything wrong. Just be patient. It will dissolve into a very creamy sauce. When you've incorporated it all, add the pepper, stir it together and... you're done.

When you serve this to people, if you have used truly good ingredients, you will have a dish that tastes like it's got much more in it than it does. The cheese gives off nutty overtones, and the pepper, some fruity ones. So it will taste as if some very complex spicing has gone on. You don't have to tell anyone what you did if you don't want to.

Last thing here, ragazzi. This dish was intended for a dinner guest who did not show up. Fessing up to you all, Annalena was about to make something different.

That's the wrong idea: always keep this in mind: if you would serve it to company, you'd better be willing to make it for yourself or your significant other. Treat yourself. It's an easy, wonderful dish, it doesn't take much time and know what? You deserve it.