Translating as ‘cheese and pepper’, cacio e pepe is one of the simplest pasta classics. It traditionally contains just three ingredients, but we’ve added peas and smoked trout for a tasty, more substantial twist.
Ingredients
180g dried linguine or spaghetti
80g fresh or frozen peas
1 x 180g pack hot smoked trout fillets
30g butter
1 tsp whole black 3 peppercorns, finely crushed using a pestle and mortar, plus extra to serve
50g pecorino or Parmesan, finely grated
METHOD
- Add the pasta to a pan of boiling water and cook following pack instructions until just al dente, adding the peas for the final 2 minutes of cooking.
- Meanwhile, skin the trout fillets and flake into chunks.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan over a low heat. Add the crushed black pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add the trout to gently warm through.
- Reserve 150ml of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and peas. Tip into the frying pan, along with 100ml of the reserved pasta water and toss briefly to coat. Evenly scatter over the grated cheese – don’t stir but wait 1-2 minutes for the cheese to melt. Once melted, stir well to coat. Add a little more pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
- Divide between bowls and serve immediately, grinding a little extra black pepper over the top.
