Cacio e Pepe

A few years ago, my family and I spent a summer traveling Europe. Though we were in Rome for only one week, the city stole my heart. I loved the dichotomy between the Roman ruins and the young vibrant culture. And, I especially loved the trattorias filled with homemade pastas, fried artichokes, pizza, and espresso granita. 

Cacio e Pepe, or spaghetti with pecorino and pepper,  is a Roman dish that I became obsessed with, and I pretty much ordered it anytime I saw it on a menu. Despite its humble ingredients, the dish is hard to find here in the US. 

When I am longing for a dinner overlooking the Tiber and the Forum or a warm walk through the Piazza Navona, I will instead reach for this pasta dish. It's quick and easy to pull together, so it's perfect for a weeknight dinner. It will taste almost as good as the pasta I had in Rome, as long as you make sure to follow these basic instructions!

Cacio e Pepe

From Patricia Wells

Serves 4 

3 tablespoons coarse, freshly ground black pepper, preferably Tellicherry peppercorns

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons salted butter

3 tablespoons sea salt

1 lb spaghetti

3/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for garnishing

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Regiiano cheese, plus extra for servicng

Place the pepper in a large skillet over medium heat and toast it, shaking the pan, until fragrant about 30 seconds. 

Add the oil and the butter and stir until the butter is melted. Remove the pan from the heat.  

In a pasta pot, bring 8 quarts of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the salt and pasta, stirring to prevent the pasta from sticking. Cook until tender but firm to the bite. Remove the pasta pot from the heat. Drain the pasta, shaking to reserve some of the excess water. Reserve some of the cooking water for the sauce.

Return the skillet to the heat. Add about 4 tablespoons of the pasta water to the oil mixture and stir to blend. Add the pasta and toss until it is evenly coated.

Add the cheeses and toss until the pasta is evenly coated. If the pasta is dry, add more pasta water. Serve immediately with additional grated cheeses.

Back to Basics: Pasta

Yes, I know you think you know how to make pasta. I'm here to tell you that while you probably know the basics, there are quite a few pro tricks that I recently learned that make a HUGE difference.

Pasta is great for so many reasons--it's quick to make, it can feed a crowd, and pleases both vegetarians and meat-lovers. Since it's likely in your weeknight arsenal of meals, why not make sure your pasta is perfect?

The Perfect Way to Cook Pasta

1. Boil Water

I know--you already know how to boil water. Great--just make sure you use at least 6 quarts of water per pound of pasta.

2. Salt your water.

Once the water is boiling, add a lot of salt to the water. Typically, you should add 1/4 cup of salt for every six quarts. The salt will season your pasta so that you are not putting delicious sauce onto bland boiled dough.

3. Cook to al dente.

Literally meaning "to the tooth", al dente is the true Italian way of cooking pasta. Your pasta should have texture and firmness, but is should NOT be crunchy. Typically, packages are pretty good at estimating al dente cooking times, but start checking the pasta two-three minutes before just in case. It's better to check too early, than to check too late!

4. Save the pasta water!

Instead of simply draining your pasta over the sink, letting all of the pasta water go to waste, save two cups of the liquid.  The water has a lot of starch and salt that will help balance out your sauce, no matter whether you made it yourself or you are relying on trusty Trader Joe's.

5. Use a saucepan and tongs.

When it comes to actually combining the pasta, sauce, and pasta water, use a saucepan and tongs. Over medium heat, add in the pasta, sauce, and a splash or two of the pasta water. Then, use your tongs to toss the pasta so it is evenly coated with sauce. The tongs also make serving pasta so much easier.

Top with freshly grated Parmesan, and then your pasta is ready to eat!

Italian Wedding Soup

Zach and I were lucky enough to attend the wedding of close friends over the weekend. The bride and groom are absolutely beautiful people, inside and out, and it was so lovely to celebrate with them and the rest of their friends and family.

With weddings on my brain, I thought of this great Italian Wedding Soup recipe and knew I had to share it with you. It's perfect for a Saturday or Sunday night when you would rather curl up at home instead of going out. The recipe takes about an hour and 15 minutes, but I promise it is worth it for the bowl of delicious hearty soup. 

Italian Wedding Soup

From Ina Gartern

8 servings

For the meatballs:

3/4 pound ground chicken

1/2 pound Italian chicken sausage, casings removed

2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs

2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 cloves)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

3 tablespoons milk

1 extra large egg,  lightly beaten

1 teaspoon Kosher salt 

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For the soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 cup diced carrots

3/4 cup diced celery

10 cups chicken stock (use low-sodium stock)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup small pasta ( I used orzo, but tubetini or stars is more traditional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

12 ounces baby spinach, washed (I used red kale instead!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

For the meatballs, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mash lightly with a fork. 

With a teaspoon, drop 1 inch to 1 1/4 inch meatballs onto a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the meatballs for 30 minutes, until they are cooked thoroughly and lightly browned.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chicken stock and wine, and then bring it to a boil. 

Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. 

Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup, and then simmer for one minute. 

Taste for salt and pepper, and then season the soup as necessary.

Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. 

Ladle into bowls and garnish with Parmesan. 

Valentine's Day Pizza Party

I am a big fan of stay-at-home date nights. I love going out to eat and trying new restaurants, but sometimes there is nothing more romantic than staying at home, cooking a delicious meal together, and then cuddling for the rest of the night. When I think of date nights, it conjures up ideas of fancy meals that might take a few hours to make, but I am much more partial to interactive and fun meals that are simpler to make.

These pizzas are one of my favorite weeknight date-night meals. Not only are they incredibly easy to make thanks to Trader Joe's, but they are also so much fun to put together. This is a great meal to put together for Valentine's Day--especially since everyone will be celebrating on Friday after a long week at work.

My friend Kara and I made three pizzas--fig, goat cheese, prosciutto, and arugula pizza, margherita pizza, and potato, egg, and rosemary pizza.  Feel free to customize!  For example, Kara loves prosciutto, so she add that to her fig and goat cheese pizza, while I was more partial to the potato, egg, and rosemary pizza.

Open up a bottle of wine, start rolling out the dough, and great ready for a great date night.

Weeknight Pizzas

Feel free to use whatever ingredients you like, and whatever amounts of topping you like, which is why I do not specify certain amounts of topping.  Use your creativity...the options are endless!  

1 potato

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary

3 packages of Trader Joe's pizza dough

Flour, for rolling out the dough

Olive oil

Fig butter

Goat cheese

Prosciutto (optional)

Arugula

Marinara sauce

Basil

Burrata cheese

Two eggs

Parmesan cheese

• Let the pizza dough rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut the potato into small slices.  Toss with two tablespoons of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and 1/2 tablespoon of rosemary. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until the potatoes are soft and begin to turn brown. Set aside to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Toss a cutting board with some flour.  Using a rolling pin, begin rolling out the pizza dough until the crust is approximately one inch thick.  Go for any shape you want--though rectangles and circles are the easiest and most traditional.
• Once you have three crusts ready to go, coat three cooking sheets with olive oil.
• For Kara's fig, goat cheese, prosciutto and arugula pizza, first coat the pizza with fig butter.  Then top with goat cheese chunks and a few slices of prosciutto.   

• Place in the oven and let it cook for 15 minutes.  Depending on how thin your pizza is, it may take longer.  You want to make sure the dough seems crispy and and the edges are nicely brown.
• Top the pizza with arugula before serving.  

• For my margherita pizza, top the pizza dough with marinara sauce and fresh basil.  

• Place in the oven, and let it cook for 15 minutes, until the edges of the dough is nicely browned. 
• Top the pizza with fresh buratta right before serving.

• For my potato, egg, and rosemary pizza, coat the pizza dough with olive oil.  Place the cooked potatoes onto the dough, creating a single layer. Crack two eggs onto the pizza.  Add the remaining salt, pepper, and rosemary, and grate a little bit of Parmesan over the pizza.  

• Cook in the oven until the egg is set and the edges are crisp, about 12-15 minutes. 

Back to Basics: Marinara Sauce

Happy Friday!  Hope you all are having a fabulous start to the holiday weekend!  I had a crazy week at work with two client meetings, but I managed to get out of the office a little bit early today.  I got so many errands done between 3pm and 5pm--mailing holiday gifts, getting renters' insurance, shopping for more holiday gifts, and then working out.  I felt accomplished--especially after a week of staying late at the office.

I wanted a cozy night in after finishing all my errands, especially because I have holiday parties and other events throughout the weekend.  Pasta, particularly pasta with marinara sauce, is an ultimate comfort food for me.

Every person should know how to make a marinara sauce.  It is so easy to do, yet it throughly impresses people when you can whip ups some homemade marinara instead of relying on Prego, Trader Joe's or some other store bought brand. This recipe is my favorite because: it is ready in under 45 minutes, requires opening up a bottle of red wine (which means you just must have a glass or two with dinner), is vegetarian, and freezes nicely.

I added roasted garlic chicken sausage from Trader Joe's to the sauce when I added in the canned tomatoes, parsley, salt, and black pepper.  It's a great way to add some protein in!

Marinara Sauce
from Ina Garten (makes 6 servings)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup good red wine, like Chianti
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a large (at least 12-inch) skillet.  Add the onion and sautė over medium heat until translucent (basically, move the onions around in the pan every once in a while).  This should take 5-10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
3. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. 
4. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 15 minutes.