Cacio e Pepe

Three ingredients and nowhere to hide. Cacio e pepe is the dish that exposes bad pasta, because when pasta dumps starch into the water the sauce breaks. Get it right and it turns glossy.

Method

1. 1

   Crack the peppercorns coarsely. Toast them in a dry wide pan over medium heat until fragrant, about a minute.

2. 2

   Boil the pasta in well salted water, but use less water than usual so it stays starchy. Pull it two minutes early.

3. 3

   Ladle a cup of pasta water into the pepper pan. Let it reduce slightly, then take the pan off the heat.

4. 4

   Add the pecorino in handfuls, whisking with the hot water into a smooth paste. Off the heat is the whole trick. Direct heat makes the cheese seize.

5. 5

   Add the pasta and toss hard, splashing in more pasta water until it coats every piece and turns glossy.

6. 6

   Plate immediately with more pecorino and more cracked pepper.