Ingredients
- pasta (spaghetti, bucatini, or tonnarelli) 1 lbs
- black pepper, very coarsely ground 1 tbs
- Pecorinio Romano, very finely grated 2 cups
- Extra-virgin-olive-oil enough to coat the pan
- Salt until it tastes like the summer sea
Preparation
- Make pasta (large pot, water seasoned to taste like the summer sea, al dente). When draining, reserve 2 cups of the cooking water
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add enough olive oil to just coat the bottom. When it shimmer, add the pepper and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add 3/4 cup of pasta water and let it boil, to encourage an emulsion
- Add drained pasta to the hot pan, toss to coat the noodles, and then sprinkle in all but a handful of the cheese. Vigorously toss, adding more pasta water as needed to create a creamy sauce that clings to the pasta without clumping
- Add salt as needed, garnish with remaining cheese ad more coarsely ground pepper, and serve immediately
Source: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat, p. 290