Pasta Cacio e Uova (Pasta with Cheese and Eggs)
We saw this on an ATK YouTube video about cooking pasta. Lan said she'd wished she'd known about starting this dish by cooking the pasta starting with cold water, rather than have the pasta boil. I want to try it that way.
In the ATK recipe* comments, folks suggested making half to make it for two people (ingredients in parentheses for a half recipe). Folks also suggested either bacon fat or combining bacon fat with olive oil, instead of lard, so I changed it to EVOO and/or bacon fat.
Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled (1 garlic clove)
2 large eggs (1 large egg)
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated equal to ½ cup (.5 oz or 1/4 C)
1 oz Pecorino Romano cheese, grated equal to ½ cup (.5 oz or 1/4 C)
2 T minced fresh parsley (1 T)
¼ teaspoon table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta (1/8 t)
¼ teaspoon pepper (1/8 t)
8 ounces (1½ cups) tubetti (4 oz)
Instructions
Place the pasta in 1 Q of water, with the salt. Bring to a boil. Once the water gets hot, stir the pasta, then a couple of more times as it comes to a boil. Then turn the pot down to simmer and cook until the pasta is slightly past al-dente, and save all the pasta water when you drain it.
Add garlic and cook, swirling skillet and flipping garlic occasionally, until garlic is pale golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. (Tiny bubbles will surround garlic, but garlic should not actively fry. Reduce heat if necessary.)
Turn off heat, but leave skillet on burner. Discard garlic.
Beat eggs in medium bowl until very few streaks of white remain.
Stir in Parmesan, Pecorino, parsley, salt, and pepper and set aside.
Return the cooked pasta to the saucepan, add the fat, egg mixture, and 1 T of reserved pasta water and stir until cheese is fully melted. Adjust consistency with remaining reserved cooking water, 1 T at a time, as needed.
*Link to the ATK website requires a subscription to view it, but the YouTube is free!
Comments