Breakfast Cacio e Pepe

Dec 15

15 December 2024

Breakfast Cacio e Pepe is inspired by the classic flavor combination of cheese and black pepper - but with eggs, and no dairy. Nutritional yeast is not meant to replace a traditional cheese, but to add protein, texture, rich golden color, and a savory profile.

This recipe is best prepared in a microwave, but can be modified using cast iron on a stove top. Aggressive mixing is what creates a velvety texture as the nutritional yeast flakes dissolve and blend with the wet olive oil batter.

Cracked peppercorns are preferred over ground pepper, as it adds crunch, color, and spice - which can be achieved with a quick pestle and mortar, the back of a spoon, or if your pepper mill has an adjustable grind setting - use the most coarse.

If you prefer two Jumbo eggs, or a three egg breakfast, bump up cooking time to about two 55 second sessions - based on the size of your eggs and microwave.

Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, or your favorite truffle oil, and a pinch of finishing salt for a tasty side or dinner course.

Total Time -
< 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS -

Per Serving

2 large eggs
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
cracked black peppercorns
Kosher salt

TOOLS -

Microwave oven
ceramic bowl
large dinner fork
pestle and mortar (or heavy spoon)

PREPERATION -

Crack eggs with 2 tablespoons olive oil into a ceramic bowl; season generously with salt and cracked peppercorn to taste.
Vigorously whip mixture into a bubbly froth with a sturdy dinner fork.
Immediately place into a microwave oven, covering the bowl with a paper towel for 45 seconds (depending on your microwave). There will be a ring of cooked egg along the peripheral of the bowl, surrounding liquid batter in the center
Using the fork, scrape the cooked egg from the rim of the bowl and whip with the liquid so the cooked egg is broken into small pieces within the liquid.
Return the covered bowl to the microwave for another 45 seconds.
There will be a small reservoir of liquid batter remaining under the cooked (expanded) eggs. Add nutritional yeast to the center liquid. Drizzle olive oil along the edge of the bowl as well over the surface of the nutritional yeast.
Scrape sides of bowl with the fork, and robustly blend ingredients until all the eggs are coated with the egg/oil/powder mixture.
Plate and add additional black pepper, salt, and olive oil to taste.

NOTES -

Cacio e pepe means 'cheese and pepper' in several central Italian dialects — a dish typical of the Lazio region of Italy. The most common being grated pecorino romano and black pepper with pasta (tonnarelli or spaghetti).

The origins of ‘cacio e pepe’ are believed to be that of shepherds from the pastoral communities of Lazio, Abruzzo, Tuscany, and Umbria in the 18th or 19th century. All the ingredients keep well for a long time, which made the dish practical for itinerant shepherds.