Cacio e Peppe

Prepare the pasta, pepper, and cheese: cook the pasta in a pot of salted water until it’s al dente – about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Reserve about 1½ cups of pasta water before draining the pasta.

While the pasta cooks, finely grate the cheese into a bowl.

Using a pepper grinder, grind about 2 tablespoons of black peppercorns over a skillet.

Toast the black pepper: Over medium heat, toast the freshly ground black pepper for about a minute until fragrant. This releases the oils in the pepper and brings out its flavor.

Add pasta water to pepper: Add a ladle (about ½ cup) of pasta water and swirl to combine.

Make the sauce: Pour a ladle of warm pasta water over the cheese and stir until it forms a smooth paste. This step helps prevent clumping when adding the cheese to the pasta. Add more water as needed to make a thick and creamy sauce.

Combine everything: Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the pepper. Toss vigorously to coat the pasta and loosen it. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Pecorino cheese sauce, tossing continuously until well combined and the pasta is nicely coated. If needed, add more pasta water, a spoonful at a time, to reach the desired consistency.

Serve immediately: Plate the pasta, and finish with extra Pecorino and cracked black pepper if desired.

Alternative Method:

Instead of mixing the cheese with water first, you can add the finely grated Pecorino directly to the pan with the pasta. Toss vigorously, adding pasta water as needed to help create the sauce. The cheese may clump a bit sometimes — but it’s still delicious and full of flavor.