Best Cacio E Pepe Crackers Recipes

CACIO E PEPE WITH CRISPY PANCETTA

Steps:

• Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the salt and the linguine and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes.
• While the water is coming to a boil, add the diced pancetta to a large, deep saute pan. Cook until golden brown and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. To the same saute pan, add the cream, butter and 1 tablespoon of the black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by a third, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Parmigiano and the Pecorino until smooth; the sauce will be a little thick. Keep warm over low heat.
• With tongs, remove the linguine from the pot and add it directly to the sauce; toss along with 1 cup of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce out. Transfer to a large serving platter and garnish with more Parmigiano and Pecorino, the remaining 1 tablespoon pepper, and the parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve immediately.

CACIO E PEPE FRICO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, gently toss together the cheeses.
• Arrange heaping tablespoon-size mounds of the cheese mixture on the baking sheets, spacing them at least 1/2 inch apart. Using your fingers, gently pat down each mound to flatten. (It's O.K. if there are holes - the cheese will melt into a web.) Grind pepper over each round.
• Bake until golden and crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets until crisp, then transfer to a serving plate using an offset spatula.

TONNARELLI A CACIO E PEPE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, filling pot slightly less than normal. (This increases the amount of starch leached from the pasta as it boils.)
• Add pasta and cook, stirring frequently, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta, transferring 6 cups pasta cooking liquid to a medium saucepan; keep warm. Wipe out pasta pot.
• Cook oil, pepper, and butter in pasta pot over high heat, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 3-4 minutes. Add pasta and 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid and cook over high heat, stirring vigorously to help draw starch from pasta, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat and add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Add 3 cups Pecorino Romano in large handfuls, stirring and tossing vigorously with tongs, until very creamy. Stir in Grana Padano, adding more pasta cooking liquid if pasta is dry. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately with more Pecorino Romano on the side.

CACIO E PEPE CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Arrange two racks evenly spaced in the oven.
• In a medium (4 1/2-inch-diameter by 6-inch-high) saucepan, heat the milk, butter, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper over medium heat, just until the milk is scalded (see Cook's Note). Add the flour all at once and beat it vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. Lower the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Dump the mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Immediately add the eggs, 1/2 cup of Pecorino and the Parmesan and pulse until the eggs and cheeses are completely incorporated.
• Working in batches, spoon the mixture into a large pastry bag fitted with a plain 5/8-inch round pastry tip. Pipe the dough in mounds 1 1/4 inches wide and 3/4 inch high (1 inch apart) on two sheet pans lined with parchment paper. (They should look like huge Hershey's Kisses.) With a wet finger, lightly press down the swirl on top of each puff. (You can also use two spoons to scoop the mixture and shape the puffs.) Brush the top of each puff lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with Pecorino, salt and pepper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until browned. Rotate the pans halfway through so they brown evenly. Serve hot.

CACIO E PEPE CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a saucepan, heat the milk, butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper over medium heat, just until scalded. Add the flour all at once and beat it vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. Lower the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Dump the mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Immediately add the eggs, Pecorino, and Parmesan and pulse until the eggs are incorporated and the dough is smooth and thick.
• Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large, plain 5/8-inch round pastry tip. Pipe the dough in mounds 1 1/4 inches wide and 3/4 inch high (1 inch apart) onto the prepared baking sheets. With a wet finger, lightly press down the swirl at the top of each puff. (You can also use two spoons to scoop the mixture and shape the puffs with damp fingers.) Brush the top of each puff lightly with the egg wash, and sprinkle with Pecorino, salt, and pepper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown outside but still soft inside. Serve hot.