I noticed it was National Spaghetti Day in the U.S., so I decided to make my favourite spaghetti dish.
Cacio e pepe is a traditional Roman dish that I used to serve at Giovanna Trattoria. It is very simple so the key to great taste comes from using quality ingredients. Pecorino Romano is the most important ingredient, a hard sheep's milk cheese that has a strong and salty flavour. Buy it in a whole piece and grate it yourself. Cream together equal parts of the fresh grated cheese, butter, extra virgin olive oil, and lots of fresh cracked pepper.
Cook spaghetti in salted water until al dente. This is important with this dish so the pasta doesn't get sticky. Fold the hot spaghetti into the cheese mixture with 1 tbsp of cooking water and serve immediately.
Have extra pecorino, pepper and olive oil at the table to garnish to taste.
