Cacio e pepe and... béchamel sauce!
There's a classic cacio e pepe, but today we've shaken up the traditional rules and created a tasty twist: cacio e pepe and béchamel. Not only that, we've also used garlic for an extra boost of flavor.
Ingredients · Servings 6 people
- 500 g short pasta of your choice
- 500 g latte
- 150 g grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 30 g butter
- 30 g flour
- garlic
- sale
- baby
Method · 30 min
- For the cacio e pepe and béchamel recipe, melt the butter with the flour and 1 grated garlic clove; cook the roux over medium-low heat, so as not to burn the flour; after a short while (just enough time to remove the flour's raw flavor), thin the roux by slowly pouring in the cold milk, stirring constantly.
- Bring to a gentle boil: as soon as small bubbles appear along the edge of the saucepan, turn off the heat, add the grated pecorino, and stir until melted. Finally, taste and season with salt. After about ten minutes, add a tablespoon of ground pepper to the now-warm sauce, to preserve the pepper's aroma.
- Cook the pasta, drain it al dente and season it with the garlic béchamel sauce, pecorino cheese and pepper.
- Storing and reheating: You can prepare the sauce ahead of time and store it in an airtight container, covering the surface with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. It will keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Shortly before using, thin it with a little of the pasta cooking water and warm it over low heat.
- Wine pairing: We found it perfect with a young, spicy red like Bardolino Classico. Santi's Bordenis has typical, fragrant aromas of raspberry, flowers, and pepper. Serve chilled, around 15-16°C. €9.50, gruppoitalianovini.it
Cacio e pepe, the recipe with béchamel sauce
In cacio e pepe with béchamel, pasta is topped with béchamel flavored with garlic, pecorino cheese, and pepper. The sauce can be prepared a few days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Shortly before using, thin it with a little of the pasta cooking water and let it cool over low heat.
