Zoodles Cacio e Pepe

Zoodles Cacio e Pepe

A couple of notes. It’s almost impossible to make a bad Cacio e Pepe, however one thing that happens frequently is the cheese clumping together and hardening into strings.

Usually that occurs because the water used to make the cream is too hot.

In addition, you really do need to beat and toss the cheese and water together vigorously for quite some time.

I like to use a combination of Grana/Parmesan and Pecorino. I've found using only Pecorino a tad overwhelming. I let you be the judge of that though.

Ingredients

Serves 4

6 zucchinis

¾ cup finely grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese

⅓ cup finely grated Pecorino

1 tablespoon ground black pepper, plus more for finishing the dish

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Using a spiralizer create zucchini noodles (always read the directions for your spiral slicer as they vary by brand - I use this spiralizer.) If you don't have a spiralizer use a regular vegetable peeler to vertically peel long, thin strips of the zucchini. This will form more of a wider "noodle" from the zucchini, like fettuccini.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add zucchini noodles and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, until zucchini noodles are tender but still retain some crunch.

Let the noodles rest for about 3 minutes so that they can release all of the moisture. Transfer noodles to a bowl and reserve the excess water in a small bowl.

In another large bowl combine the cheeses and black pepper; add just enough zoodle water to make a thick paste.

Add zucchini noodles, and stir vigorously to coat them with the cheese-pepper sauce, adding some olive oil and a bit of zoodles water to thin the sauce if necessary.

The sauce should cling to the zoodles and be creamy but not watery.

If the zoodles are not hot enough, heat them in the pan for a couple of minutes before serving.

Sprinkle with additional grated cheese and pepper and serve immediately.