Cacio e Pepe

Shortly after my boyfriend and I got back from our amazing 12 day trip to Italy (emphasis on the AFTER), my boyfriend said he had watched Anthony Bourdain chowing down on some amazing looking pasta in Rome called Cacio e Pepe. 

Cacio e Pepe, literally cheese and pepper, is a classic Roman dish made from the simplest of ingredients: water, pasta, cheese, freshly ground black pepper and butter.

And it's simply amazing. If you ever see it on a menu, order it. Or, better yet, make it yourself! 

It's become one of our favorite meals to repare and I hope it might become one of your favorites as well.

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 6-10 mins | Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

Half pound spaghetti or bucatini

1/2 cup salted boiling pasta water

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon good quality olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly grated pepper, plus more for garnish

1 1/2 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for garnish

Basil or other green for extra garnish (my basil is from my home garden, hence the caterpillar bites)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions on the box (add salt to water). After pasta has cooked for several minutes, ladle out 3/4 - 1 cup boiling pasta water and set aside. When pasta is extremely al dente (about 2 minutes before you would normally strain), remove the pasta and strain. Set aside momentarily. Add boiling pasta water, butter and pepper to a hot sauce pan. Add the drained pasta to the pan and toss through the water mixture until the pasta absorbs almost all of the water. Remove from heat and add cheese to pasta. Toss and garnish with more cheese and pepper, to taste.

Buon Appetito!

Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach, Cheese Ravioli

Oh pasta, how I love thee :)

If there was one food I was forced to eat for the rest of my life it would be pasta.

And lots of it.

I had some fun in the kitchen the other night whipping up a batch of homemade ravioli, making up the recipe as I went.

If you are weary of making homemade pasta, don't worry! This recipe takes shortcuts (hello, wonton papers) and it's not all that time consuming! Promise!

Happy cooking my Italian chefs!

Prep: 25-30 minutes | Cook: 2-3 minutes | Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

1 package prepared wonton papers (40-45)

12 ounces ricotta cheese

1/3 cup finely chopped or grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup bread crumbs

5-6 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups spinach

2 tablespoons basil, finely chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

1 teaspoon garlic powder

juice of half a lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop basil, sundried tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Set the basil and sundried tomatoes aside. Throw the chopped garlic and olive oil in a pan on medium heat. After garlic begins to sizzle a bit, throw the spinach in and sautee for about 2 minutes, or until leaves begin to wilt. Remove spinach mixture from heat place and place on a cutting board. Finely chop spinach and garlic mixture. Place mixture in a large bowl.

Add the chopped basil, sundried tomatoes, ricotta cheese, juice of half a lemon, breadcrumbs, parsley, and garlic powder to the large bowl and mix! Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Place a large pot of salted water on the stove and set to boil! Now it's time to fold!

Lay the wonton papers flat on a dry surface so that they are faced towards you in the shape of a diamond. Place a generous amount of cheese mixture in the center of each wonton paper. Dip your finger in water and line the bottom edges in water. Fold the ravioli over so that the two edges you moistened meet the two edges that you did not moisten. Use your fingers to press the triangle together, making sure that the edges are well sealed. Grab the farthest points of the wonton papers and bring them together in the center...kind of like you are folding the "arms" of the ravioli. Use a bit of water to seal the arms together. repeat several dozen times :)

Ravioli can be cooked immediately after the folding party is complete! Cook in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain and serve the ravioli however you like. I tossed mine with olive oil and more parmesan cheese. You can also toss with a spicy tomato sauce or pesto sauce. Yumm! 

Ravioli can also be placed in the freezer, in a single layer until frozen. Once frozen, place in a plastic bag until ready to eat. Cook in salted boiling water for 7-9 minutes.