Mother's Day Pasta

We were in New York over the weekend for Ted's uncle's 80th birthday celebration.  Kate was happy to accompany us because it meant that she could spend Saturday with her camp friend Olivia who lives there.  The girls spent a wonderful day together and I don't think there's a corner of Manhattan that they missed.

Part of their day was spent shopping for Mother's Day presents.  Olivia's mom gave them some gift ideas and the girls hit the town.  I must say that the ideas were inspired and Kate came back to the hotel thrilled with her acquisitions.

One of the goodies that Kate gave me for Mother's Day was a pound of fresh linguine pasta from Little Italy.  Can I just tell you something?  If pasta can be beautiful, this linguine is stunning.  It's just beautiful.  Who knew fresh pasta could look like this?

So, I've decided that I'm going to let the pasta shine and make something simple and truly delicious with it.  I'm going with one of my all time favorites: Linguine with Cacio e Pepe.  For those of you not in the know, that would be pasta with black pepper and cheese.  Simple and elegant and very easy too.

What a great gift.  Thoughtful and delicious.  A winning combination!

Recipe:  Linguine with Cacio e Pepe
(Mario Batali)

Ingredients:


Kosher salt
1/4 cup coarsely ground black pepper
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butteri
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for serving
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano

Directions:


Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add 3 tablespoons of kosher salt.

Meanwhile, set another large pot over medium heat, add the pepper, and toast, stirring until fragrant, about 20 seconds.  Add the oil and the butter and stir occasionally until the butter has melted.  Remove from the heat.

Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until just al dente.  Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the oil and butter mixture, then add the pasta and stir and toss over medium heat until the pasta is well coated.  Stir in the cheeses (add a splash or two more of the reserved pasta water if necessary to loosen the sauce) and serve immediately, with additional grated Parmigiano on the side.