Cacio e Pepe with Pear Slivers

There's nothing tastier than cheese with pears and Cacio e Pepe with Pear Slivers exemplifies this magical pairing to the fullest.

There’s a saying from the 1200’s about the delightful pairing of cheese with pears:

"Dio non ha mai fatto un matrimonio così riuscito, ossia il connubio tra pera e formaggio." - God has never made a more successful marriage than the union of pears and cheese.

And another well-known Italian proverb: "Al padrone non far sapere quant’è buono il cacio con le pere". - Don't let your master (boss) know how delicious cheese with pears is. Medieval history scholar cum culinary historian, Massimo Montanari, wrote a book about this proverb and the delicious marriage of cheese with pears: "Il Formaggio Con le Pere".

About Cacio e Pepe

Cacio e Pepe (cheese and pepper) is a classic Roman poor man’s dish. As the ingredients were easy to keep and carry they were perfect for shepherds without a fixed abode. For shepherds the dish was ideal: boil some water over an open fire, cook the pasta - spaghetti or tonarelli - and then make a delicious sauce from some freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese and grated black pepper, along with a bit of the pasta cooking water.

Ingredient-wise it’s as simple as could be and you’d think because there are just a few ingredients that it would be super easy to make, and basically it is. Yet you do have to pay careful attention to how you mix the pasta with the cheese and pepper so that it doesn’t clump together and form a ball. Once you get the hang of it it’s absolutely simple.

Cacio e Pepe with Pears

Cacio e pepe with pear slivers was featured recently in one of my favorite Italian culinary magazines, Sale e Pepe. A lightbulb turned on in my head when I saw it and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it myself because it’s such a natural and wonderful food pairing. I tweaked the recipe and created my own version.

The recipe for Cacio e Pepe with Pear Slivers

You can deep fry or bake the pear slivers. Deep-fried are more complicated simply because the pear slivers are very thin and delicate and the more you handle them the more likely they are to tear. I also try to limit how much fried foods I eat.

Instead if you bake the pear slivers you can slice them right atop the parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Ingredients:

Spaghetti, 400 grams

For the pears:

Two firm pears, preferably Kaiser
Peanut oil for frying, about 2 cups (if you fry the pears)
Flour, about half a cup (if you fry the pears)

For the sauce:

Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated, 200 g
Freshly grated black pepper, 2 teaspoons
Pasta cooking water

Special Equipment:

A mandolin for slicing the pears
Parchment paper
Oil-absorbing cooking paper
A pasta fork (claw) to scoop the spaghetti

Procedure:

For the pears

If they are baked:

Preheat the oven to 250°F or 120°C.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
As the pear slices are thin and delicate it’s easiest to slice them right on top of the baking sheet as they can break or tear if you try to pick them up.

If they are deep-fried:

Line a draining rack with the oil-absorbing cooking paper. You can also use plain disposable paper placemats like these.
Put half an inch of peanut oil into a saucepan and heat until the oil sizzles when you add a drop of water.
Use a mandolin to thinly slice the whole (unpeeled and uncored) pears .1 inch (a tenth of an inch) or 2.5 mm thick.
Lightly flour the pear slices on both sides and place immediately in the sizzling oil.
Fry until golden.
Don't turn the pears as the slivers are very delicate; instead spoon some of the hot oil on top of them.
Delicately scoop out the pear slices and place on the parchment paper to drain.
Gently remove the seeds from the pear slices.

For the pasta and sauce

Grate the pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper and place in a small mixing bowl.
Preheat the oven to the lowest setting possible: about 100°F or 40°C. Just before serving the pasta heat up the pear slices in the oven.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Use just enough salt so that the water tastes like the sea.
Cook the spaghetti until al dente, or according to package instructions.
Place the pears on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and put in the oven to reheat.
While the pasta is cooking place the freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese and freshly grated black pepper in a small mixing bowl.
Whisk the cheese and black pepper together.
When the pasta is al dente use a pasta claw to scoop it out of the pot and into a serving dish.
Use a ladle to add pasta cooking water to the pepper and cheese mixture, one ladleful at a time.
Gently stir the water into the cheese - not vigorously please as the cheese will begin to clump!
Once the sauce is creamy - about like pancake, crepe or cake batter - pour it on top of the spaghetti.
Gently toss the spaghetti and cheese mixture together until creamy. If the pasta is too dry add a bit more pasta cooking water, by the ladleful.
Place the pear slivers decoratively on top of the pasta and serve.

 

Another great pasta dish with pears is Ricotta and Pear Filled Pasta Sacks.

If you'd like to learn more about pecorino cheese then read Pecorino Cheese: What Is It Anyway?

I make a small commission on purchases made through links on my website. Prices are identical for you, but purchasing through my links helps support my work to bring you great recipes, podcast episodes, culinary and travel information.