Not-Your-Ordinary Buttered Noodles
You might be wondering how I am going to start this recipe series off. A healthy, matcha-coloured, very of-the-moment 2025 thing? Or something that will give you a heart attack just by looking at it? Or just the Gettysburg Address of recipes with no substance? Well, the heart wants what it wants and I am going to go with a good ol’ pasta. You can judge me for the amount of rambling and look forward to the heart attack later.
Your groans are deafening. But wait! It’s not just any pasta! It’s buttered noodles with a kick. So you might say that anyone can make buttered noodles, and you also might say, “Hey, what gives, Sarah? Your recipe looks suspiciously like cacio e pepe!” That’s because it is a mix- a mélange, if you will- of the two.
I’ve always had a soft spot for cacio e pepe because of my love of all things spicy. Back when I travelled to Rome with my first husband for my birthday, we ate ourselves into a literal food coma before our flight back out to Paris and it’s no thanks to cacio e pepe. We shared one at a trattoria then split another plate in a food hall. That's two servings each in less than 12 hours and that's because there really is nothing that I love more than a hearty plate of pasta.
Listen, you would be right to scream at me that this is not simple at all, and just a trap for me to push my chilli oil on you. But here is where my recipe comes in. When the cooking is executed horribly, yes, the whole thing becomes a messy, sad and gummy affair. Here’s where I introduce the secret ingredient of my recipe, so you cannot mess it up: butter. Pro tip: the butter acts as a binder to help: a) your cheese melt faster and b) the latter stick to your strands of pasta. Yes, this is a tip from me, a professionally trained chef, to you. Did I mention that you can serve this right up in 15 minutes? Say, for a date night? Or for a girl dinner? You will notice that my recipe is heavy on the cacio and light on the pepe, if only because we are going to be dousing this in chilli oil after, so hold your horses. It is time to break out your fanciest pasta (Rummo, if you can find it), your grater (none of that pre-grated nonsense, please), and your pepper grinder/mortar and pestle.
Not-Your-Ordinary Buttered Noodles
Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins
Yields 2 generous or 4 small servings
INGREDIENTS
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One pack of good quality pasta (bucatini, spaghetti grosso or similar pasta that has some heft)
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2 tbsp of unsalted butter, diced into large cubes
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1/2tsp of whole peppercorns
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60g of freshly grated Pecorino Romano plus more for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
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Boil the pasta water. Fill your pot with cold tap water. When the water starts to boil, generously season the water with sea salt.
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Bloom the pepper and then grind using mortar and pestle. While the pasta water is heating, heat a large saucepan on medium heat. Put the peppercorns into the pan and gently let the peppercorns cook until they smell fragrant (30 seconds to 1 minute depending on your stove). Tip the bloomed peppercorns gently into the mortar and grind them coarsely with your pestle. Set aside.
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Melt the butter. In the same saucepan, melt the cubed butter.
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Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta two minutes short of what’s indicated on the package. For example, if the cooking instructions on the package tells you that the cooking time is 12 minutes, set the timer for 10 minutes.
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Toss the pasta. Reserve a cup of starchy pasta water before draining the pasta. Using a pair of kitchen tongs, transfer the pasta to the saucepan with the melted butter. Tip in the ground pepper. Add ⅓ cup of pasta water into the mix and toss everything to combine. Add ½ of the Pecorino Romano and continue tossing until the sauce is glossy. Splash in more cooking water to thin out the sauce if necessary.
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Serve immediately. This pasta is best eaten immediately! Don’t hesitate to add a few extra grinds of black pepper and grate some more cheese on top.