Perciatelli with Cacio e Pepe

With my mom out of town and my tasting room employees on spring break, I had a crazy-busy week among the feeding of the animals, the watering of the plants, and the extra hours at work. On Friday night, all I wanted to do was veg out and eat something comforting…sometimes, you just feel like a bowl of noodles.

Perciatelli is a thick spaghetti-like pasta shape that has a hole in the center – it’s like a spaghetti tube. Even when al dente, it doesn’t twirl because it’s so thick. I broke the noodles in half for this recipe, which made it a dantier dish. And of course, what’s a meal without the perfect wine and cheese pairing?

The other night, I had a bottle of Chronic Cellars (one of my FAVORITE wineries) 2007 La Muneca, which is 50% Roussanne and 50% Viogner, chilling in the fridge. I picked up a hunk of parmigiano reggiano from the cheese side of the operation (The operation being my place of work, Vivant Fine Cheese), headed home, and threw together this delicious dinner.

"The Doll"

Perciatelli with Cacio e Pepe
serves 1

Cacio e pepe is a traditional easy dish. Cacio means cheese, and pepe means pepper. This is a flexible recipe that is great for an evening when you want a quick, comforting, tasty dinner.

2 oz. dry Perciatelli (you can sub any kind of pasta)
drizzle of good olive oil
a few cracks of freshly ground pepper
a couple tablespoons of grated parmigiano reggiano

Cook pasta according to package directions, placing serving plate or bowl on oven to warm as pasta cooks. Drain, then coat with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper and cheese, and toss to combine. Enjoy!

It doesn't look done, but it is