The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell

~ foodinbooks

I found The Fifth Gospel to be quite a great read, fast-paced and adventurous, but with a fascinating historical and Biblical premise as the storyline. It’s simple – a Greek Catholic priest living in The Vatican must defend his brother, also a Greek Catholic priest but one attached to the Pope’s staff, who is accused of murder. The victim? An artist who recreated the Shroud of Turin for a Papal art show and made a discovery that could possibly turn the Catholic Church upside down.

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It’s very well written, heavy on Church history (which I like) and yet has a human side in the main character of Father Alex Andreou, whose desperate efforts to prove his brother innocent are matched only by his dedication to the Greek Catholic church, raising his son Peter, and hoping his estranged wife Mona will return to them both. She does, mysteriously one evening, and when she reunites with Peter, she brings dinner with her, in that clever way women have of knowing that the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

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“Mona reaches into a plastic bag by her feet and says ‘I brought dinner.’ ‘A gift,’ she clarifies. ‘From Nonna.’ Peter’s maternal grandmother. I recoil. Peter looks at the Tupperware and says…….’My favorite pizza is margherita.’ ‘I’m sorry,’ Mona says, crestfallen. ‘All I brought is some cacio e pepe.’ Tonnarelli with cheese sauce. The devil inside me smiles. Her mother’s version of the dish will be too peppery for Peter. A fitting introduction to the mother-in-law I always found to be an acquired taste.”

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This post came about, in part, from an IM conversation I had with my friend Luca Marchiori of Chestnuts and Truffles. Luca is not only my cooking hero, he’s a marvelous chef, a talented food and travel writer, and takes the most wonderful photographs. He also lives in Italy and gets to travel around that beautiful country ALL THE TIME. Is it any wonder I want to be him?

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Anyway, I’ve gotten in the habit (annoyingly to Luca, I’m sure!) of asking his advice about the week’s upcoming blog post and my thoughts on how to make my recipe unique. Cacio e pepe is a traditional pasta dish that features three major ingredients – pasta, pepper and cheese. You really can’t go wrong with that trio, but I wanted to add my own unique twist on the recipe, so I asked Luca what he thought of perhaps a margherita-style cacio e pepe, combining two food descriptions in the passage above.

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Luca didn’t think combining two separate pasta dishes into one was the best way to go, and when I mentioned wanting to make something one’s own, he talked about the writing of Philippe Conticini, who was, in Luca’s words, “a great patissiere who had the philosophy that when you were revising classic dishes you should make sure you keep all the original ingredients and not add more. Change the way they are put together rather than leaving out or adding.”

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Something to consider. So, rather than trying to make it into something unique, I decided to challenge myself by simply recreating this classic recipe, and having roasted tomatoes on the side. Not IN the dish, Luca, so calm down. But as a garnish. And guess what? It worked!

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This is the method that worked for me, based on this article from Business Weekly, featuring the late, great, notorious Anthony Bourdain – my future husband – in Rome. I mean, Bourdain, Italy and pasta – the holy trinity, in my book. (And very fitting for today’s post!)

index

INGREDIENTS
1 lb bucatini pasta
1 tablespoon of butter
3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmeggiano Reggiano cheese
3 tablespoons Pecorino cheese
Generous amount of ground black pepper

METHOD
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes, until the pasta is almost cooked, but not quite. You’ll see why in a minute.

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One of the best cooking tips I’ve ever gotten in my life was to save some of the boiling water that the pasta has cooked in, and add a bit to whatever sauce you are making. The starch in the water helps the sauce to emulsify and thicken somewhat, and also adds to the dense flavor. So keep about a cupful of the pasta water before draining the pasta. But do keep some of the water on the noodles. Anna del Conte, the matriarch of Italian cooking and food writing, calls this “la goccia,” which means “a drop” to keep the pasta moist.

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In a separate saucepan, add the butter and a very generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Melt the butter gently over low heat, then add the starchy pasta water. Swirl around to mix.

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Add the cooked and drained pasta to the saucepan with the pasta water, butter and pepper. Stir around with tongs to finish cooking the pasta, about 2-3 minutes more. Taste to see if the pasta is al dente, with a small bite but cooked.

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Remove from the heat, and add your cheeses to the hot pasta mixture. Stir again to mix and meld all the cheeses. You DO NOT want your cheese to be in lumps, which is why you want to do it when the pasta is hot off the stove. Just stir and swirl with your tongs and pretend you’re one of those bad-ass Italian chefs who have that technique down pat.

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Place a swirly pile in a shallow bowl, and sprinkle over more Parmeggiano, and add another generous sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper. Et voila! Cacio e pepe alla Romana!

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Serve with roasted tomatoes on the side, which are simple to make. Slice the tomatoes thinly, and sprinkle over some slivered garlic. Toss with olive oil and dried basil, and roast at 425 for 30-35 minutes. Remove, let cool for about 15 minutes, then sprinkle over a dash of balsamic vinegar. Salt and pepper as you like.

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A dish fit for a Pope!

Published by foodinbooks

I read, I cook, I travel, I love pugs, I drink wine, and I blog about food and books.

35 thoughts on “The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell”

    1. Thank you so much. I really enjoyed making this dish and it was delicious. The tomatoes really cut the richness of the cheese. I definitely think you would enjoy the book if you like church intrigue and mystery .

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    1. I really appreciate that! Thank you so much. This was a very nice meal and actually, even though it’s pretty rich, it is a very nice summer lunch. The tomatoes definitely offset the richness of the cheese.

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  9. My husband and I had cacio e pepe during a trip to Rome three years ago, and I enjoyed it immensely. The richness of the cheese was perfect with the pepper. I never thought to recreate it, but you sure have inspired me to do so now. Looks delicious and the book sounds like a great escape. Great post, as always, Vanessa.

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    1. I actually had someone I was in Italy several years ago myself. Is it just that most delicious dish? Anything with cheese makes me happy. Glad you enjoyed the post and I hope you are staying well.

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    1. Great! Let me know if you make the dish or read the book. The dish itself is luscious but very rich, so the tomatoes truly do offset it with their acidity and tanginess. It’s a good combination, I think. Good luck!

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  14. this book looks reall interesting and a perfect way to highlight one of the world’s great cuisines (and possibly my favorite). beautifully photographed as always (the tomatoes add nicely to the color of course, as well as the flavor).

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it, and thank you! It really was delicious, and the tomatoes definitely cut the richness of the pasta. And the book is very readable. I think you would probably enjoy it if you picked it up. You can also buy it by clicking on the link from my website, just so you know. 🙂

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    1. Thank you! Yes, it ended up being quite easy, although the whole swirly-twisty deal with the pasta in the pan at the end was a little tricky. Guess I will have to cook this dish many more times and practice! 😉 Glad you enjoyed it!

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  16. Wow, I’m honoured by your post and also that you took my advice. I think this sounds wonderful and there are many small pieces of authentic Italian advice in your post, such as the cooking water. Well done for an excellent post. I’m inspired to read the book now … I only have a queue of five waiting to be read!

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