Cacio e Pepe Sauce - Recipe by Mama Isa

Cacio e Pepe Sauce 


This is the simplest and one of the tastiest pasta dishes in the Roman repertoire, served at home. “Cacio e Pepe” means “with cheese and pepper.” 

INGREDIENTS (to serve 6 people)
salt (about 20 g)
400 g fresh pasta tonnarelli or maccheroni alla chitarra (just if you don't have fresh pasta, you can use dried Spaghetti)
about 2 and 1/2 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 heaping tablespoons freshly ground black pepper per person

DIRECTIONS
The trick to making this recipe work is to  a technique called "mantecare", meaning to mix and meld.
Bring at least 4 liters of water to a boil in a large pot and add salt. 
Drop in the pasta, stir. When the water returns to a boil, cook, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente. 
Reserve about ½ cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.
Return the still-dripping pasta to the pot in which it was boiled. 
Away from any direct source of heat, stir in the reserved pasta water (this water is a very important step in order to get a creamy sauce) and toss vigorously while sprinkling the cheese (about 1 and 1/2 cups) and the pepper: but please if the sauce becomes too watery, add Pecorino Romano cheese; if it becomes too dry, add water.



Serve immediately in pasta bowls with the remaining 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese on the sid!  Season with lots of freshly ground black pepper.




Buon Appetito!


TIPS: 
1- Usually keep in mind that for 100 g of pasta, you should use 10 grs of salt and 1 liter of water, but Pecorino Romano cheese is very salt, therefore Mama Isa's tip is to add half of the amount of salt for boiling pasta....... just 20 g)
2- Please gradually add Pecorino Romano cheese and water tossing vigorously until you get a creamy consistency.








  • Recipe by Mama Isa

Gamberi alla Busara - Prawns in Busara's style

Busara Recipe




Prawns or Langoustine (Scampi) in Busara's style.
Buzara or Busara (in Venice) is not originally from Venice itself, but from Istria. During the Middle Age Venice gradually dominated Istria (until 1797). The different food of the Istrian tradition have been influenced by the Venetian Dominion. Of course in Venice we have adopted many Istrian recipes. But this is a recipe that takes me back to when my mother Paola used to make this for me and my family a lot. She passed away many years ago, but she lives in my heart every day. Paola has shared with me this old family recipe. Now I want to share it with you! In Venice this dish is made traditionally with scampi, langoustine, but large prawns work very well. Prawns are gently simmered in wine, tomatoes, garlic and herbs,finished with breadcrumbs. This dish is a perfect “secondo piatto”, but it makes a great appetizer or a light meal when served with salad and toasted bread, and of course a good wine!!!!! 

INGREDIENTS ( serve 4 people) 
4-5 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
1/2 yellow onion, minced 
16 large prawns, raw and without the head or a kilo of Scampi
2 garlic cloves, minced 
1 tablespoon of dry bread crumbs 
1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste 
1 glass of white wine (good white wine, not cooking wine) 
1 glass of fish stock 
Fresh Italian Parsley, finely chopped 
Black Pepper, freshly grounded 
salt to taste 

DIRECTIONS 
Heat the evoo in a large pan. Add the onion and cook until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the tomato paste and solve it. 
Then add the white wine and let it evaporate. After add fish stock (hot) and seasoning with salt. Let it reduce over medium heat. Place the prawns (or scampi) and cook both sides until the prawns turn pink, about 2-3 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and mix. 
Cook another minute, then sprinkle with fresh Italian parsley, chopped. Sprinkle black pepper and more extra virgin olive oil. 

Serve immediately. 

Buon Appetito!


TIP: Choose the best fresh prawns. They should smell fresh and clean, not fishy, and should look moist.






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