Traveling has long been my favorite hobby – well, besides reading – reading is much, much cheaper (usually). Luckily, I married a man who loves to travel as much as I do. He might even like it more – actually, that’s not possible. But I digress. Earlier this year we took our kiddos to Italy in celebration the hubby’s 40th birthday. Yes, we were crazy, but the little ones did amazingly well. So well that they survived huffing it for almost 10+ miles of walking per day and sleeping like logs at night. They also ate voraciously which was a nice change from the bird eaters they are normally. One of the things they (and we) loved? Cacio e Pepe. Cheesy, creamy, peppery, and super simple.
One of the best places we had it was Antico Forno Roscioli near Campo dei Fiori in the heart of Roma. To say the littles devoured this dish – in between us sneaking bites – is an understatement. It was fantastic. As were all the other dishes we ate – carbonara, amatriciana, fiori de zucca (squash blossoms), burrata – the list goes on – and we were only there for lunch!
Needless to say, when I saw the cookbook staring back at me as decoration when we sat down, I immediately thought – if this food is as good as it looks, I’m going to snap up this cookbook as my first Roman souvenir. Yep – it was, and I did. Hence the tasty little reminder of a wonderful family trip to the land of cheese, pepper, gladiators and roman gods. Interested? Check out the recipe below:
Because it’s an Italian cookbook, you’ll have to excuse the metric measurements.
- 280g spaghetti
- 400g Pecorino Romano
- 130g Parmigiano Reggiano (aged 12 months)
- 500ml natural mineral water (I used tap)
- 30g freshly ground pepper
Grate cheese into large bowl and add the water. Stir to combine. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth and silky (I’m not sure this is necessary, but it’s in the book). Place one big spoonful of cheese per person in an empty sauce pan (or reuse the one you’re about to drain). Once pasta is al dente, drain and add noodles directly to pot ladled with cheese. Place the pot on the stove (on low) and stir until combined and sauce is dense and forms strings.
Serve with extra sauce and add pepper to taste.
Faux Gourmand 