During my travels in Italy, I took a weekend trip to Rome. While in Rome, I was on a hunt weirdly for Ethiopian food, but also for Cacio E Pepe Pasta! I remember specifically looking for this restaurant that served Cacio E Pepe in a parmesan wheel, only to get there, after an hour of walking, and realize that we needed reservations because they were PACKED. Despite my weird experience trying to find this dish - it is actually very easy to find Cacio E Pepe on practically any menu in Rome. With only two true ingredients, this makes for a quick and easy pasta recipe.
In this recipe, in order to have the true Italian experience - I made my Bucatini pasta homemade. I used my Kitchen-Aid Pasta Extruder Attachment to get the specific Bucatini shape - but store-bought pasta will do just fine in this recipe as well!
I added a twist to this Cacio E Pepe recipe by adding some Mascarpone in order to add even more of a creaminess to the pasta.
In my garden, a lot of my herbs and flowers are finally starting to be ready to harvest. I planted a variety of Edible Flowers this year - one of my favorite flowers is the Viola which I used in this recipe as a garnish.
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
1 Cup of Parmesan Cheese (4 oz)
1/2 Cup of Mascarpone (4 oz)
1/2 Pound of Pasta (Bucatini is used in this recipe)
2 Tsp of Black Pepper
1/2 Tsp of Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 Cup of Pasta Water
1/3 lb of Lobster Claws - Cooked
1 Stick of Butter
1 Tbsp of Garlic
1/2 Lemon - Juiced
5 Violas Flowers (Optional)
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil on medium-high heat.
While the water is coming to a boil, melt butter in a small pot on medium heat.
In a medium bowl mix the parmesan, mascarpone, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Once the butter is melted, add garlic, and lemon juice to the pot and combine. Remove the meat from the lobster claws and add it to the pot. After two minutes of cooking the lobster in the butter, turn the heat off and cover the pot with a lid.
Add the pasta to the boiling salted water. Add 1/4 cup of pasta- water to the bowl with the parmesan and spices. Combine until it forms a paste. Once the pasta is finished cooking, use tongs to remove the pasta and place it directly into the bowl with the parmesan and spices. Add another 1/4 cup of pasta water and combine until it becomes creamy.
Remove the lobster from the butter and chop into bite-sized pieces and then place it on top of the pasta. If you have the fresh edible flowers add it to the top of the pasta as a beautiful garnish.