Celery Root Cacio e Pepe

Ingredients

1 cup (4 oz / 115 g) peeled celery root, in 1-inch cubes

¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk

1 bay leaf

1 gallon (4 L) water

4 Tbsp (40 g) kosher salt (Diamond Crystal), plus more to taste

1½ tsp (4 g) whole black peppercorns

8 oz (225 g) radiatore, torchietti, or spaghetti

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

⅓ cup (40 g) 50/50 Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano, finely grated, plus more to serve

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Method

Make the celery root puree. Put the celery root, milk, and bay leaf in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, until the celery root is tender, 15–20 minutes. Stir a few times so it cooks evenly. Cool slightly, discard the bay leaf, and blend the milk and celery root until completely smooth. You should have about ⅔ cup (150 g).

Heat the pasta water. Fill a large pot (at least 6 quarts) with the water and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. If it boils before the sauce is ready, turn it down, but don't let it reduce.

Toast the pepper. Crack the peppercorns coarsely. Set a large skillet over medium heat, add the cracked pepper to the dry pan, and toast, stirring, until it smells strong and peppery, 15–30 seconds. Don't go too far, or the pepper turns bitter. Splash in some pasta water to stop the cooking. Stir in the celery root puree, bring to a simmer, then slide the skillet off the heat.

Cook the pasta. Return the water to a boil, add the pasta, and set a timer for 2 minutes less than the shortest time on the package. Stir several times during the first 2 minutes. When the timer goes off, start tasting. When the pasta is 1½–2 minutes from al dente, move it to the skillet. Reserve at least 1 cup (240 ml) of the pasta water.

Finish in the pan. Put the skillet over medium heat. Toss the pasta, adding splashes of pasta water, until the noodles are al dente and the sauce is juicy. If it looks watery, simmer a few seconds more. The cheese will thicken it.

Emulsify. Turn the heat to very low. Add the butter and cheese and toss to emulsify, adding splashes of pasta water (or plain hot water if it is getting too salty) to keep it creamy and stop the cheese from clumping. Taste, and adjust with salt and black pepper.

Divide between two warm bowls and serve right away, with more cheese at the table.

At a Glance

1 cup celery root	peel, cut 1-in cubes	simmer 15–20 min	discard bay, blend smooth	stir into pepper, simmer; off heat	toss pasta with splashes of water, medium heat	very low heat; toss to emulsify	season, serve in warm bowls
¾ cup whole milk
1 bay leaf
1 gallon water		cover, bring to a boil
4 Tbsp kosher salt
1½ tsp black peppercorns	crack coarse	toast in a dry skillet 15–30 sec, splash of water
8 oz pasta	boil 2 min less than package time
2 Tbsp butter
⅓ cup 50/50 cheese	grate fine
black pepper (optional)

Notes

Adapted from Joshua McFadden with Martha Holmberg, Six Seasons of Pasta (Artisan, 2023), p. 371.

It looks like classic cacio e pepe, but the celery root puree changes the dish. It gives the sauce body before any cheese goes in, so the sauce holds together and does not break. The root adds a quiet, nutty sweetness that sits under the pepper.

Toast the pepper only until it smells strong. A few seconds too long and it turns bitter, and in a dish this plain there is nowhere for bitterness to hide.

Make a larger batch of the puree and freeze the extra. One softball-size celery root makes several batches.

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