Grate the pecorino as finely as possible (on a fine rasp) into a bowl. Toast the whole peppercorns in a dry pan for 1–2 minutes until fragrant and crush them coarsely in a mortar.

Ingredients

• 320 gPasta, dry, unenriched
• 110 gCheese, romano
• 6 gSpices, pepper, black
• 680 mlBeverages, water, tap, drinking
• 1.3 lBeverages, water, tap, drinking not counted – removed
• 1 gSalt, table editorial addition

Method

1. Grate the pecorino as finely as possible (on a fine rasp) into a bowl. Toast the whole peppercorns in a dry pan for 1–2 minutes until fragrant and crush them coarsely in a mortar.
2. In a wide pot bring just 2 litres of water with 10 g of salt to the boil (less water means more starch, and the pecorino is salty) and cook the spaghetti 1–2 minutes less than the packet says.
3. Meanwhile put half the pepper into a frying pan, add 100 ml of pasta water and let it bubble briefly. Into the pecorino in the bowl, add about 100 ml of pasta water a little at a time, left to cool for a minute or two (lukewarm to warm, not boiling), and work it with a spatula or whisk into a thick, smooth cream; there should be roughly equal amounts of cheese and water.
4. Lift the spaghetti with tongs into the pan with the pepper and toss over low heat for a minute so they finish cooking and release starch. Take the pan off the heat, let it cool for about half a minute, add the pecorino cream and toss quickly, with a spoonful of pasta water if needed, until a glossy, creamy sauce forms. The cream must not go above roughly 65 °C, otherwise the cheese proteins clump and the fat separates.
5. Serve at once, sprinkled with the remaining pepper.