PICI CACIO E PEPE WITH MARINATED EGG YOLK

This seriously insta hyped dish from Carbone, a hip restaurant in Paris, has been flooding my feed for the last few fashion weeks, and I have been craving it ever since I laid my eyes on this bowl of homemade, luscious pici pasta with cacao e Pepe sauce and marinated egg yolk online.

I was therefore super excited when I found a make-at-home version that was super fun and surprisingly easy to make!

A real show stopper of a recipe and almost as good as having the original dish in Paris (almost!).

INGREDIENTS

Marinaded Egg Yolks

• 2 Egg yolks
• Soy sauce enough to cover the egg yolks half way

Pici

• 2 1/4 cups flour using 00 flour 
• 3/4 cup warm water with a pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Cacio e pepe

• ~1 cup of reserved pasta water
• 2-3 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup pecorino and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

METHOD

• Marinade Egg Yolks: Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and cover with soy sauce in a bowl. 
• Cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for 2 hours.
• For the dough in a large mixing bowl or on a clean surface, add the flour and make a well in the middle. 
• Add a drizzle of olive oil, and then gradually add the warm water mixed with a bit of salt to the well. 
• Mix with a fork and continue to add water until the dough starts to come together.
• Once the dough begins to form, transfer it to a clean and floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. It should become smooth and elastic.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
• After resting the dough, cut into small pieces (about the size of a walnut) and roll and stretch each piece between your palms to form the Pici noodles. 
• The motion should be similar to rolling a piece of Play-Doh into a rope shape. 
• Keep them covered in some flour so they don’t stick together.
• Once all the Pici are rolled, you can cook them immediately or dry them for later use. 
• To dry them, lay them out in a single layer on a floured surface or a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them air dry for a couple of hours.
• If cooking right away, get a large pot of water boiling (just lightly salt since we already salted the dough) and boil for only a few minutes.
• For the sauce toast peppercorns in a dry frying pan for a few minutes and then grind up.
• Take some of the starchy pasta water that the pici is boiling in and ladle into a separate pan over medium heat. 
• Add the toasted pepper and two knobs of butter. 
• Stir until this comes together, then add the al dente pici pasta and stir again for another minute.
• Add the parmesan and pecorino cheese and let sit for a minute without stirring. 
• Remove the pan from the heat, let sit for one more minute and then give a final stir so it all comes together.
• Plate and serve with marinaded egg yolk!