Sweet Corn Cacio e Pepe: Spilled Milk #24

A seasonal twist on the "It" pasta of the moment.

Is there a more “it” pasta dish of the moment than cacio e pepe?

It literally translates as cheese and pepper, it’s super simple and when made properly, intensely luxurious in terms of flavor and mouth feel. I think the pandemic years boosted its appeal as chefs and cooks posted pictures and videos on Instagram and You Tube. Home cooks saw how simple it was. Restaurants all over the country threw it on their menus too: it’s cheap to make and customers gobbled it up.

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I make a dozen versions of it…but one of my favorites is made with sweet corn.

The saltiness of the cheese and the intensity of the black pepper is ideally suited for corn, as is the creaminess of the liaison with the pasta water and butter.

Last week, southern sweet corn started showing up in our markets here in Minnesota. Earlier in the week, with our one-day heat wave, I pretended it was summer and opened all the windows, and started craving this pasta. The batch was perfection. Here’s the recipe, only available for my Substack family. And a video to make it even easier for you!

Sweet Corn Cacio e Pepe

Makes 4 sensible pasta portions