Small Pleasures Exclusive - Pici with brown butter cacio e pepe recipe
We recently stepped into the kitchen of Gabriella from no regretti spaghetti to bring you a mouthwatering pasta recipe. If you're needing some cooking inspiration look no further than this scrumptious Pici with brown butter cacio e pepe!
Recipe - Pici with brown butter cacio e pepe
Ingredients
For the pici:
200g tipo 00 flour
100ml warm water
For the sauce:
1 tbsp black peppercorns
100g unsalted butter
150g Pecorino Romano, as finely grated as possible
Method
1. Place the flour in a mound on your work surface and create a well in its centre. Pour in the water and whisk in small amounts of flour until you have a paste, then continue to add flour to this mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or your fingers.
2. Bring the dough together to form a shaggy ball, then knead for 7-10 minutes with a short, covered rest halfway until your dough ball is smooth, elastic and springs back when poked. Cover and rest for a minimum of 30 minutes but preferably 60 minutes.
3. Divide the dough into four pieces. Work with one at a time while keeping the other pieces covered so they don't dry out. Using a rolling pin, flatten the piece until it's about 1-2cm thick. Brush each side with olive oil, then cut into strips around 1cm in width.
4. Using the palms of your hands roll each strip out into a long, round noodle. Start with your hands in the centre then work them outward, stretching the dough into a thick noodle (or spaghettoni). Keep going until your noodle is about 1/2 cm thick. Pici is a rustic shape, and irregularities are the beauty of hand rolled pasta!
5. Set each noodle aside on a baking sheet lined with fine semolina or a clean tea towel while you continue with the rest of the dough.
6. To make the sauce, first bloom the peppercorns by gently heating in a dry pan until fragrant. Transfer for a pestle and mortar and grind until coarse.
7. Heat the butter in a pan and brown. It’ll splutter and foam and smell wonderfully nutty - swirl the pan frequently to prevent burning. Once the sputtering sound suddenly comes to a halt, your butter should be nicely browned. Add 1 tsp of the ground black pepper and allow this to cook momentarily before removing from the heat. Set aside while you cook the pici, which you do so by boiling in generously salted water for 4-5 minutes depending on how thick you’ve rolled them.
8. Once the pici is al dente, put the brown butter back on a low heat and add the pasta directly to it. Toss well and add a splash more pasta water to create a base for the cheese emulsion. Add the finely grated Pecorino Romano by the handful and quickly agitate the pan, stirring, whirling and tossing vigorously to create a creamy sauce. Add pasta water as needed if this feels too thick and coagulated, or if you add too much you can add some extra grated Pecorino to thicken.
9. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Thanks for dropping by! You can also see more of Gabriella’s amazing pasta content over at no regretti spaghetti