We saw this on TV and had to give it a try. The chef said she had tried 100 different ways to make this, and this was the best. It sure was easy. It takes awhile to boil a big pot of water on my stove, and this recipe cuts the water in half — so the whole recipe only took about 15 minutes total, especially with the smaller pasta. Of course, we got the real romano cheese as they suggested, per Whole Foods. We didn’t grate the cheese as fine as they suggested, and but it sure didn’t seem to effect the flavor.

We used Barilla whole grain angel hair pasta (though ATC says whole wheat pasta is better for you than whole grain with only 6 grams of fiber, and the didn’t even use whole wheat in this recipe) and skipped the black pepper. We have a lot left over — and I am so glad.

From America’s Test Kitchen’s Spaghetti with Pecorino Romano and Black Pepper (Cacio e Pepe)
Serving Size  : 6
Categories    : Pasta & Pasta Sauces

Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
6             ounces  Pecorino Romano cheese — 4 ounces finely grated (about 2 cups) and 2 ounces coarsely grated (about 1 cup)
1              pound  spaghetti
2        tablespoons  heavy cream
2        tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
1           teaspoon  black pepper

Place finely grated Pecorino in medium bowl. Set colander in large bowl.

Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and 1½ teaspoons salt; cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Drain pasta into colander set in bowl, reserving cooking water. Pour 1½ cups cooking water into liquid measuring cup and discard remainder; return pasta to now-empty bowl.

Slowly whisk 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water into finely grated Pecorino until smooth. Whisk in cream, oil, and black pepper. Gradually pour cheese mixture over pasta, tossing to coat. Let pasta rest 1 to 2 minutes, tossing frequently, adjusting consistency with remaining ½ cup reserved pasta water. Serve, passing coarsely grated Pecorino separately.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 448 Calories; 15g Fat (30.8% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 58g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 36mg Cholesterol; 348mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 4 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 2 Fat.

NOTES : High-quality ingredients are essential in this dish, most importantly, imported Pecorino Romano—not the bland domestic cheese labeled “Romano.” Use the small holes on a box grater to grate the cheese finely and the large holes to grate it coarsely. Alternatively, a food processor may be used to grate it finely: Cut the Pecorino into 2-inch pieces and process until finely ground, about 45 seconds. For a slightly less rich dish, substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream. Do not adjust the amount of water for cooking the pasta. Stir the pasta frequently while cooking so that it doesn’t stick to the pot. Letting the dish rest briefly before serving allows the flavors to develop and the sauce to thicken.

Maureen called me from Texas to watch chef and cheese expert Jason Sobocinski, called The Big Cheese,  on the cooking channel. We don’t get it (only food tv), but I went to the website. It says: The US is now the biggest cheese producer in the world and creates over 350 high quality. She says W would do a better job — which was very sweet of her. One of the recipes on the site has our favorite blue:  Penne with Point Reyes Original Blue, Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach. It just premiered on May 1, and they don’t have much on the website yet.

For National Cheese Fondue Day, the Melting Pot offered free fondue. WT was out of town and had set up the reservation, so NA and I got to take advantage of it at the DC location on 19th Street. We had just been to a lovely program at the Italian Embassy, so we were in the a festive cheese mood. The restaurant is a pretty place, much cozier than the family-friendly restaurant in nearby Arlington, VA. The staff was quite friendly, and the place was quiet. They make a big production out of making the actual fondue at your table, and that is quite fun. The hostess let us know: Every Wednesday: Wine Down Wednesday! 50% off select  bottles of wine. The waiter, Charlie, and his trainee suggested salads and desserts, but they weren’t pushy. Charlie knew a bit about wine, and he checked with the bartender when we had a question. We went with Verdemar’s Spanish Albarino, and it went well with the Swiss cheese fondue. (There were many types of cheese fondue, but we decided to go with a classic).

Charlie prepared our fondue in a double-broiler-type fondue pot on the table with white wine, garlic, fresh lemon juice, grated Swiss Gruyere and Emmentaler, topped off with black pepper and nutmeg. It was accompanied by bread chucks, some veggies and granny smith apples. It was just perfect for 2. I’d give the fondue and service a good rating, but they need to work on the softie American bread–a good, crusty French bread would have added to the experience.

During the week you have to park on the street, and of course, we had parking meter issues, so bring plenty of change and call the phone number on the side if you have issues.