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!

Chili and Lime Tortilla Chip Tapas

I've been making the chile and lime chip in this recipe for years. They are really easy to make and SO much better than anything you can buy in a store. The "tapas" part was just made on the fly with the ingredients I had on hand and it ended up being pretty darn tasty.

Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 15 minutes | Yield: 6 servings

Chip Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt (kosher salt is my fave)

Tapas Toppings:

1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese

1 avocado, sliced

3 tablespoons cilantro

lime wedges for garnish

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut each tortilla into 8 chip sized wedges and place on a nonstick cookie sheet in a single layer. Mix lime juice and olive oil in a small bowl. Using a cooking brush, brush the solution over the chips so that they are slightly moist. Combine other spices in separate small bowl and sprinkle on top of chips. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure chips don't burn. When chips are crisp, remove from oven and arrange on a plate. Sprinkle with tapas toppings and enjoy!

Spaghetti with Browned Butter, Garlic and Mizithra Cheese... This is Wifey Material Right Hurr.

My latest creation is inspired by, of all places, The Spaghetti Factory.

The Spaghetti Factory is a family favorite and tradition. We've been going to the Spaghetti Factory in Newport Beach for as long as I can remember. Every time we go, we all order the same thing. Spaghetti with Browned Butter and Mizithra. It's Uh-Mazing.

If you haven't tried mizithra, get on the bandwagon already! It's delicious!

Put it on pasta, veggies, pizza, fish or just pile some mizithra on top of mizithra and eat that. You can't go wrong. 

I wanted to copy-cat the Spaghetti Factory's recipe but I wanted to add some elements that I though would enhance the dish...pinetnuts, garlic, parsley, pepper, etc.

Alright, let's get started on making some pasta! This is wifey material here! Remember, the key is to have good ingredients: good cheese,  fresh garlic and if possible, homemade or fresh pasta- I bought my ingredients from a local italian market where they make the pasta in house. It's good. Really good.

P.S. Use a fine grater for the mizithra cheese, but note, don't try to use the lemon zester on your grater like I did. I couldn;t figure out why my cheese wasn't grating. Duh. Me and my amateur moves!

When browing the butter, keep a watchful eye. You just want to carmelize it a bit. Think caramel colors.

Prep: 5 minutes | Cook: 10 minutes | Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
1/4 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup butter
1/2 - 1 cup mizithra, depending on your love of cheese
2 tablespoons pinenuts
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon parsley or something pretty and green for topping

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta. While water is heating up or pasta is cooking, finely chop garlic and set aside. Use a fine grater to grate mizithra, set aside. In a small skillet, turn heat to medium and add butter diced into small pieces for quick melting. When butter is completely melted and starting to bubble, add garlic. Don't add garlic too soon or else it will burn. Stir the butter and garlic mixture often until the butter is a golden caramel color.

When pasta is al dente, remove from heat, drain and return pasta to original pan. Add the browned garlic/butter mixture, mizithra cheese, oregano pepper, pinenuts and mix well. Top with some extra pinenuts and oregano to make it look pretty. Presentation is half the battle.