Cacio e Pepe

Ingredients

• 200g tonnarelli, spaghetti or bucatini
• 100g pecorino romano, finely grated
• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• Salt for the pasta water

Before you cook

• Grate the pecorino as finely as you can, which is what lets it melt smoothly.
• Crush the peppercorns coarsely in a mortar or under a pan.
• Salt the pasta water less than usual, because the pecorino is very salty.

Steps

1. Boil the pasta in the minimum water that covers it, so the water turns properly starchy.
2. Toast the crushed pepper in a dry wide pan for 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Ladle a little pasta water into the pepper pan and let it bubble into a syrup.
4. Mix the grated pecorino with a few tablespoons of warm pasta water in a bowl to make a thick paste.
5. Drain the pasta two minutes early and finish cooking it in the peppered water.
6. Take the pan off the heat and wait 30 seconds, because direct heat is what makes the cheese split.
7. Add the cheese paste and toss hard, adding pasta water a splash at a time.
8. Keep tossing until the sauce turns glossy and clings to every strand.
9. Serve immediately, as it stiffens as it cools.