Cacio e Pepe beans
If there were a recipe that could heal my all my problems and feel like a hug from my mother who lives on the other side of the globe, these Cacio e Pepe beans would be it.
Cannellini beans have been my go-to canned beans for a long time now. I love to simmer them in liquid or oil until the sauce reduces and you’re left with the delicious seasonings you chose.
Some people may argue that you shouldn’t cook canned beans because they’re already cooked. Well, I disagree. I love when beans are so soft that they melt in your mouth.
Some recipes would be better if the beans were firm and completely in tact. Not this dish. Cacio e Pepe beans want to break down and create a starchy sauce. This dish wants to be creamy, so let those canned beans break down!
The only other thing you should know is to add your grated pecorino in small batches to your beans over the stove. Once added in batches to hot water, the cheese will be more likely to melt into the water more quickly. If you add the grated cheese into cold water, it may be more likely to clump in the cooking process, resulting in a sticky cheesy bottom in your pot.
Just follow the steps below, this dish is super easy to make. Heat the beans with water on the stove and slowly add in batches of cheese and stir.
To make this dish in a traditional Cacio e Pepe manner, toast the cracked black pepper before adding into the pot with the beans. In a classic Cacio e Pepe pasta, the cracked black pepper is first toasted on a pan to bring out it’s fragrance and flavours. Don’t forget that too much cracked black pepper could overpower the dish.
Ingredients:
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can full of water
40 g pecorino, grated
3 g black pepper, freshly ground
pinch of salt
Method:
Drain and rinse one can of cannellini beans. Add to a small pot. Fill the can full of water and add to the pot with the beans.
Over low heat, simmer beans and water for 10 minutes or until very warm. Begin grating parmesan into the pot, stirring to prevent clumps in between grating.
Grind black pepper straight into the pot. Add a pinch of salt.
Stir continuously until the water evaporates and the sauce reduces and thickens. Take it off the heat once it’s saucy.
Finish with more parmesan and black pepper.
These Cacio e Pepe beans would be absolute perfection overtop toasted sourdough bread cosplaying as beans on toast.
I would suggest sharing this dish as a side along with other dinner plates, such as charcoal chicken, a Caesar salad and fresh sourdough bread. That would be an elite dinner. Side note, if anyone has a rotisserie restaurant by their house, I am so jealous. I’ve been to one in Ojai, CA and one a few suburbs from me. Basically you order either a whole, half or quarter rotisserie chicken and sides. The sides could be slaws, salads, fries, roasted potatoes, etc. There’s always so many sauces to choose from too, such as gravy or aioli. Would definitely recommend for a casual night out.
