Like me, my daughter Lucia loves to tinker in the kitchen. She found a recipe for microwave pasta online and started testing it out, and we were both amazed at how well the pasta came out—al dente, well seasoned, superquick, and easy, the perfect technique for a meal for one hungry person. Cacio e pepe is the spare Roman cheese-and-black-pepper pasta you see everywhere these days: The sauce is just Pecorino, butter, lots of pepper, and some of the pasta cooking water. I know Italians will want to kill us, but this microwave version has an important advantage over the traditional dish: It uses very little water, which means the cooking water has a concentrated starchiness that binds the sauce beautifully. And because it’s so quick, it’s a great—and much better—replacement for boxed mac and cheese.
SERVES 1
1 cup elbow macaroni
2½ to 3 cups water
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup frozen corn kernels or ½ cup fresh or frozen peas
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
Freshly cracked black pepper
Combine the pasta and water in a microwavable bowl, add a pinch of salt, and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave, stir in the peas, and return the bowl to the microwave for 1 minute more.
Working quickly but calmly, pour off most of the water into a bowl so that no more than a few tablespoons remain in the pasta bowl. Add the butter and cheese and stir vigorously to emulsify the cheese and fat with the cooking water. The sauce should begin to look like a light macaroni and cheese; if it is too thick or tight, splash in a bit of the reserved pasta water and continue stirring. Season with lots of cracked pepper and eat immediately.