Vegan Cacio e Pepe – The New York Times

I’m going to show you how to make my vegan cacio e pepe. It’s not a classic cacio e pepe. It doesn’t have cheese. But I think the use of miso, nutritional yeast and cashew butter capture the saltiness, the richness, the creaminess. It’s quite delicious. I hope you try it. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high. Add the nutritional yeast, cashew butter and miso to a small bowl and stir into a thick paste. Crush the peppercorns using the flat side of a knife. Add the pasta to the boiling water. Reduce the temperature to medium, and cook stirring occasionally, about two minutes before al dente. Reserve 2 and 1/2 cups pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add 1/4 cup olive oil to the empty pot and heat over medium. Add about 2/3 of the crushed black peppercorns and toast, stirring frequently until fragrant. Add the miso mixture and stir, then whisk in 1 and 3/4 cups reserved pasta water until sauce is smooth. Add the pasta to the sauce and cook over medium high, tossing it constantly and vigorously with tongs until the sauce is glossy and the pasta is fully al dente. Add an extra splash of reserved pasta water to keep the sauce glossy. Divide among bowls, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with remaining crushed pepper and serve immediately.