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Red Wine Cacio e Pepe
Cacio e Pepe is one of my favorite pastas, and I decided to give it a modern twist to create Red Wine Cacio e Pepe. Instead of cooking the pasta in water, I cooked the pasta in red wine. It might sound a little odd, and you might think that the pasta looks a little strange, but Red Wine Cacio e Pepe is delicious.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 bottle of Wine I recommend Pinot Noir
- 3 cups of Water
- 1 pound of Bucatini
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Freshly and Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 3/4 Parmesan or Pecorino plus extra for serving
- 3/4 cup deserved Red Wine Pasta Water
- Note: I used parsley as a garnish for photos
Instructions
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Combine the wine and water in a dutch oven (or similar). Bring to a steady boil and add the pasta. Stir frequently and let the pasta cook until it is al dente. Add more water to the pot if necessary.
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Place a colander in a large bowl and drain the pasta. You want to save that starchy red wine pasta water.
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Using the same dutch oven, melt 3 tablespoons of butter, add the pepper and let cook for 1 minute. Then stir in 3/4 of the red wine pasta water and the cheese. Let simmer for 1 minute, then return the pasta to the pan. Add the remaining butter and stir to combine. Garnish with more pasta and parsley (if you want) and serve right away.
Recipe Notes
If you want to save some of the Red Wine Cacio e Pepe for later, save some of the red wine pasta water for later too. I saved it all - it was about a cup. I added that starchy red wine water to sautéed some mushrooms. Then I stirred in about 1/4 cup parmesan, and added the leftover pasta and let it cook in the sauce until it was warm. Lastly, I added some chopped spinach and stirred it in until it wilted. I basically took the leftovers and transformed them into something new.