MEALS IN A HURRY
Pasta lets you get creative with everyday supermarket staples such as lemons, cherry tomatoes, salmon and bacon. Plus cheese — don’t forget the cheese. Pasta and cheese love each other. In fact, if all you have on hand is a box of pasta and a wedge of che
CACIO E PEPE ALLA COLU
This Roman classic is traditionally made with just three ingredients: spaghetti, pecorino Romano and black pepper — lots of it. Cookbook author Colu Henry adds butter to help emulsify the cheesy sauce.
Adapted from Henry’s Back Pocket Pasta: Inspired Dinners to Cook on the Fly (Clarkson Potter, 2017).
Make ahead: The pasta can be refrigerated for 3 or 4 days.
Serves: 4
Salt
12 ounces (340 g) dried spaghetti
4 tbsp (60mL) (1/2 stick) butter (salted or unsalted) 2 tsp (10 mL) freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving
1 cup (250 mL) freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Salt it generously.
2. Add the spaghetti; reduce the heat to medium-high and cook according to the package directions (for al dente).
3. When the pasta is about halfway done cooking, start the sauce: Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pepper and stir for about 2 minutes, until it is aromatic. Add 1/2 cup of the cooking water directly from the pasta pot; once the mixture is bubbling, cook for 1 minute, stirring, to form a well-blended sauce.
4. Drain the pasta, reserving another 1/2 cup of its cooking water.
5. Reduce the heat to medium; add the cooked spaghetti and the cheese directly to the skillet, tossing vigorously until evenly coated and the cheese has melted. Add the 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water; cook for 1 minute more.
6. Divide among individual bowls or plates; serve with additional cheese and pepper.