Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe (Spaghetti with Crushed Black Pepper and Pecorino Cheese)
Salt for the pasta water
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns, or more to taste
1 pound spaghetti
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano, or more to taste
Bring a big pot of salted water to the boil.
Grind the peppercorns very coarsely, preferable crushing them in a mortar with a pestle or in a spice grinder.
Warm up a big bowl for mixing and serving the pasta - use some of the pasta water to heat the bowl, if you like.
Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Quickly lift it from the pot with tongs, let it drain for an instant, then drop it into the warm bowl.
Immediately scatter a cup of the grated cheese and most of the ground pepper on the pasta, and toss in quickly. As you mix, sprinkle over spoonfuls of hot water from the cooking pot to moisten and amalgamate the pasta and condiments - add more pepper or cheese to taste.
[originally appeared in ''Lidia's Italy" by Lidia Bastianich.]
It sounded like more of a side-dish pasta, so I decided I would make this to go along with it:
Balsamic-Glazed Salmon Fillets
6 (5 ounce) salmon fillets
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon white wine
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Coat a small saucepan with non-stick cooking spray. Over medium heat, cook and stir garlic until soft, about 3 minutes. Mix in white wine, honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for about 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
3. Arrange salmon fillets on foil-lined baking sheet. Brush fillets with balsamic glaze, and sprinkle with oregano.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes, or until flesh flakes easily with a fork. Brush fillets with remaining glaze, and season with salt and pepper. Use a spatula to transfer fillets to serving platter, leaving the skin behind on the foil.
Any time I google a recipe, inevitably several foodie blogs will be amongst the search results. I'm not sure why, but I decided to google the pasta recipe to see if anyone else had tried to make it. Sure enough, I found this incredibly informative posting: Bad Home Cooking: Mistakes were made: Spaghetti cacio e pepe (with cheese globs). I had the exact same results! All the cheese basically stuck to my tongs, and I had to pull it off. I even warmed the bowl. I even watched Lidia herself make it on the Today Show! Now, it wasn't bad, it was pretty good, but it wasn't any different than when I was in high school and I'd cook up some pasta for lunch and throw some butter, cheese, and pepper on top. Nothing special at all. Definitely not good enough for a birthday dinner.
Now, I included the recipe for the salmon that I used as an inspiration, but I didn't follow the recipe. I did cover the pan with foil, and I did make it in a sauce pan, and I did use all the ingredients, but I just dumped them in and didn't follow the the recipe. I also used olive oil to saute the garlic instead of artificial cooking spray. Oh, and I used Red wine instead of white. And I used Ground Mustard instead of Dijon. And I used dried oregano instead of fresh. Wow, I think I made something completely different!
It was pretty good. The flavor was a little more delicate than I thought it would be - it would have been nice with a little more punch.
When I bought the salmon at Central Market, the Fishmonger asked me if I wanted the head or the tail. I paused for a moment and looked at the whole side of the fish and said "Head." He said, "I that that part better too." I had to fess up - I said, "Honestly, I don't know the difference, you're the first person to give me the option." He said the head side was flakier, and the tail was a more solid piece. He ended up giving me the pound of fish I asked for from the head side, and he through in a little piece of the tail for me to try. I have had tail meat before: my mom used to buy a that whole piece and sometimes I would be the one to get the tail. I just couldn't remember the different except that it is a thinner slice. I suppose I could taste the difference - the tail is slightly gamier, but it is but it is barely discernible. The texture is definitely different and it stays together better. I can't say I prefer one side of the other. But unless I'm grilling it, I will probably continue to buy the Head side unless I'm grilling it.
So, needless to say, we'll be having tacos for her BD.
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