← Nouns Cooking · Italian

Ingredients

• 400 g tonnarelli or spaghetti
• 150 g pecorino romano, very finely grated, plus extra to serve
• 2 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
• salt, for the pasta water

Method

1. Toast the crushed pepper in a large, dry frying pan over medium heat for 1 minute, until fragrant, then turn off the heat.
2. Cook the pasta in less water than usual so it gets extra starchy, and salt it lightly because pecorino is salty. Boil until about 2 min short of al dente.
3. Meanwhile, mash the pecorino in a bowl with a few spoonfuls of the warm (not boiling) pasta water into a thick, smooth paste.
4. Add a ladle of pasta water to the pepper pan and lift the pasta in with tongs. Toss over medium heat for 1–2 min until the pasta is al dente and the water has reduced to a cloudy glaze.
5. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for 30 seconds. Add the cheese paste and toss hard, adding splashes of pasta water until the sauce turns creamy and coats every strand. Serve straight away with extra pecorino and pepper.

Tips

• If the cheese turns stringy the pan was too hot: add a splash of cool water and keep tossing off the heat.
• Pecorino is made with animal rennet, so it is not suitable for strict vegetarians.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Great Italian Chefs BBC Good Food