Cacio e Pepe Salad
At the end of a certain magazine about People, which I only read on planes and road trips, there are recipes provided typically by chefs, sometimes by celebrities. I seldom take notice, except when something unique really pops out, like David Chang’s bacon fried rice. And that was a HIT!
This time, it was a cacio e Pepe salad, which was intriguing, since it’s well known as a pasta dish.
The contributor is Stefano Secchi, who I’ve never heard of until now, but he chefs at the New York City restaurant Rezdôra, in the Flatiron district. Even though this is called a salad, he serves it as an appetizer.
I was only capable of taking these terrible photos when I initially saw the recipe, because I was in the back seat of a car headed to Nashville, but they were enough to piece together the recipe!
All I needed was Little Gem lettuce, and a girlfriend came through for me!
Cacio e Pepe Salad
1/4 cup canola oil
1 ounce Pecorino cheese, grated
1 ounce Parmesan, grated, plus 1/2 ounce shaved
1/2 cup water ( I used 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons mustard
4 heads Little Gem lettuce
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Process the oil with the grated cheeses, water, lemon juice and mustard, just until emulsified, about 20 seconds.
Spread about 3/4 cup of the dressing on the cut sides of lettuce halves on a plate.
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle on the pepper.
Add the shaved Parmesan.
So much like a Caesar salad, if truth be told, but oh so good.
Full disclosure: I subscribe to People magazine. Yes, I do.
About the Author: Chef Mimi
I love little gem lettuce and there’s plenty of it fresh in the salad section of my local supermarket at the moment! Can’t wait to give this lovely looking salad a go.
Oh nice. You’re so lucky!
Ha! I do it to keep up with what’s going on in the world, so I don’t feel so out of touch. I’m not sure it works…
How fortunate to pick up a copy of the magazine and come away with this lovely fresh salad?! Thank goodness for a phone to photograph the recipe which is now winging its way around the world for us all to enjoy. :))
THANKS!!!
Isn’t it honestly amazing to use our phones as our cameras? The world is so different!
IMimi, have a serious, need-to-get-help addiction to cacio e’ pepe and all of the new recipes spinning from this delicious classic pasta recipe! I know that I will love this salad!!! Thanks for sharing and adding more reason to stay addicted to cacio e’ pepe (in a very good way).
Be well! Ciao, Roz
It’s not quite like the real pasta thing, but it’s damn good!
Interesting! I love it when people take a well known recipe and give it an interesting twist. This one we’ll be having soon.
It’s quite a twist, but it’s really good. (Seriously though so much like a Caesar salad!)
Ha ha, Mimi! I’m a closet People junkie, too… on airplanes, impulse-buy grocery store check-out stands, or whatever… ahem, Some of their “celebrity recipes” are really good! At first I thought you meant “Ancini de Pepe” (fondly known as “Frog Eye Salad” in our family) but Google quickly dispelled that notion. Their definition: “Cheese and Pepper.” YUM! No wonder it resembles Caesar Salad. What a lovely use of summer’s freshest and finest!
I have a cacio e Pepe traditional pasta recipe on my blog. I don’t see why it’s such a big darn deal, honestly. It’s simple pasta, salt, pepper, and pecorino. Good… don’t get me wrong. But I like a bit more stuff thrown in. I do need to check out this frog eye salad!!!
Love the flavors and presentation. Great summery salad! :)
It was good. And a great lettuce!
We have a basic lettuce salad lunch during the week and this is perfect for us – such lovely flavours.
Very much like a Caesar, and very good. It’s a great lettuce!
What a fun idea! I love cacio e pepe in its traditional pasta form, so I’m pretty sure I would love this salad version, too. It’s perfect for hot summer days!
Sort of a silly twist, but it’s a really good salad. Or appetizer!
I love that it could be a nice appetizer rather than salad. Why not – the gem lettuces are perfect for this purpose. I used to be able to get them here, but haven’t seen them for a while. Will need to look next time I’m allowed out to shop again. 😉 By the way, I get so enthralled with the in-depth reporting in People that I never made it to the back of the magazine to see that it has recipes! 🤣
Ha!!! Well then, start at the back!
Wow! Nifty idea. Love Cacio e Pepe, but never thought to make a salad version. But I will. :-) Thanks!
Well, it’s good, and it gave me the opportunity to taste this lettuce, which I love!
this sounds tasty! i love tangy dressing and plenty of cheese in my salad (:
No kidding! You described it perfectly!
Love the flavors in this salad! And the baby lettuce is perfect. A keeper!
Thanks so much! I loved this lettuce!
What a refreshing salad Mimi, this looks fabulous! Sometimes recipe inspiration comes from the places we least expect it. Definitely the perfect salad to make as we enter summer, yum!
It’s very good. And honestly, I’ve discovered quite a few really good recipes in people magazine!
Thanks Abbe. They have? I had no idea. I guess that’s a smart thing.
There’s a somewhat similar salad at Jon and Vinny’s in Los Angeles which I loved so much I tried to recreate it at home. Now I have a much better roadmap thanks to you. GREG
Cool! It’s just so similar to a Caesar, and just as good.
Thank you! It was very good.
Oh, I love this! I’m trying to avoid pasta! Thanks so much for posting. I’ll have to go find Chang’s dish, too!
It’s a really nice salad. Especially if you can get the fancier lettuces.
this sounds so nice! how lucky you are to get a hold of that magazine! thank you for sharing this lovely post with usss!!! have a great dayyy!!🤗🤗🤗
Follow @everythingtips for tips and recommendations if interested! It would mean a lot to me!🥺🤍