By November, Sydney is well and truly in the throes of spring. The pops of purple jacarandas, beginnings of daylight savings, and complaints of hay fever are but a few signs that the warmer months are upon us. Lately though, the weather has become unseasonably cold with temperatures dropping below 20C. Add to this chilly winds and rain and you’ve got yourself a valid reason to stay indoors with a cup of tea (or whiskey).

Given the winter-like outdoors, I wanted to whip up something hot and comforting for dinner this week. The first dish that popped to mind – and I’m sure many others thought of this too – was the classic mac and cheese. You simply can’t go wrong with a pasta and cheese combo! Using this as my inspiration, I decided to go with the ‘adult’ version of mac and cheese and pulled out a recipe for cacio e pepe. This little baby hails from Rome and is beautifully simple: all you need is spaghetti, Pecorino Romano, and copious amounts of black pepper.

I followed this Martha Stewart recipe to great success. To jazz it up a bit, I also tossed through a handful of rocket (that’s arugula to my overseas friends), and omitted the extra-virgin olive oil for truffle oil. Totally worth it.

What’s your go-to comfort dish?

Photo: Julia Child via Matchbook Mag