Cacio e Pepe

Ingredients

• 200 g spaghetti or tonnarelli
• 100 g pecorino romano, very finely grated
• 2 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely cracked
• salt, for the pasta water

Method

1. Boil the pasta

   Cook the pasta in less water than usual and salt it lightly — the pecorino is salty, and you want the water as starchy as possible.

   8 min

2. Toast the pepper

   Toast the cracked pepper in a dry pan for a minute until it smells fragrant, then add a ladle of pasta water and let it bubble.

   2 min

3. Make the cream

   Mix the pecorino with a few tablespoons of pasta water into a thick, smooth paste. Let it cool slightly — added to a boiling pan it seizes into strings, which is how this dish usually goes wrong.

4. Combine off the heat

   Drain the pasta, take the pan off the heat entirely, and toss the pasta with the pepper water. Wait ten seconds, then stir in the cheese paste, working fast and adding water until it turns glossy and coats every strand.