Related to my last post, I decided it was time to have a proper cacio e pepe the other day. 

Cacio e pepe is probably one of the easiest to make dishes while still really delicious. Since I am kind of lazy but still need delicious food, it’s a perfect dish for me.

You need

Spaghetti (preferably good quality)

Pecorino cheese

Black pepper

Salt

How to cook it

Grate pecorino cheese.

Cook spaghetti in salted water until slightly under cooked. Reserve a couple of table spoons of the cooking water before draining the pasta.

Put the pasta back in the cooking pan together with almost all of cheese, the cooking water and pepper. Stirr on low heat until cheese and water has mixed into a velvety sauce around the spaghetti. Season with (plenty of) black pepper and sprinkle the last pecorino cheese on top.

Done! Enjoy!

Got a revelation the other day to try to combine one of my favourite pasta dishes ‘cacio e pepe’ with a risotto. Turned out really well. Below is how to do this cheesy, peppery and smooth risotto cacio e pepe.

Ingredients

Arborio rice or other prefered “risotto rice”

One onion

Garlic

Chicken stock (or vegetable)

Butter

Pecorino cheese

Chives

Cooking the risotto

The recipe is really simple. You make a standard risotto by first frying finely chopped onion and garlic in butter. When cooked till soft (but now browned), add uncooked arborio rice and “toast” for a couple of minutes. Poor in a glass of wine and let it reduce for a bit. Then just add stock (I use chicken stock) in portions (like with the wine let reduce, then add some more) until the rice is done. It should have some bite still in my mind and the risotto should be relatively runny.

Flavouring

Add finely grated pecorino cheese (you could use parmesan but it won’t really be the same), a knob of butter and lots of black pepper to the risotto. Stirr and taste. If taste’s good you’re ready to serve.

I added a layer of grated pecorino at the bottom, then the risotto on top, and then some extra pecorino, black pepper and finely chopped chives on top of the risotto. Enjoy!

A good Swedish Midsummer is, in my mind, among the best things of the year. Usually it rains, and usually it’s a last minute option. But occassionally, there is this invite to one of your friend’s country houses for a proper traditional Swedish Midsummer bash with Midsummer’s pole, boozy herring lunch, childish games and partying till the sun goes back up at something like 3 a.m. This year was one of those rare pretty much perfect Swedish Midsummers. Pics below.

Midsummer party setting. No electricity, no heating and no running water. Lots of pretty little cabins, lots of beer, plenty of schnaps, sea access and a great sauna made up for any first world inconveniences though.

Pre-Midsummer dinner.

Picture perfect sauna.

Slightly crooked Midsummer’s pole which is what we circulate doing our pagan dances, such as the classic “tiny frogs”.

Traditional herring lunch with pickled herring, boiled new potatoes, Västerbottens cheese pie, egg halves, sour cream, chopped chives, salmon and crispbread.

Un-traditional but nevertheless delicious pavlova.

Sunset at 11 pm:ish.

Day two was spent on below jetty tanning/sweating out the Midsummer alcohol.

Sunset.