Cacio e Pepe

Method

1. Put four serving bowls into a low oven to warm through. Don’t skip this step. Cold bowls will seize the sauce the moment it hits them, and you’ll end up with a claggy mess instead of something glossy.

2. Toast the peppercorns whole in a dry, hot pan for a minute or two, until they smell fragrant. Tip them into a mortar and crush roughly with a pestle. Whole peppercorns toasted this way give far more punch than pepper straight from a grinder.

3. Bring a wide, shallow pan of lightly salted water to the boil. A wide pan lets the spaghetti lie flat and cook evenly, and just as importantly, it means you’re not diluting your starch ingallons of water.

4. You want the pasta just covered, not swimming.

5. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, or until just short of al dente.

6. Before draining, scoop out 350ml of the starchy cooking water and set aside.

7. Put the grated pecorino and most of the crushed pepper into a large, heavy bowl.

8. Beat in a splash of thereserved pasta water to loosen the cheese into a paste, then keep adding a little at a time until you have something with a light saucy consistency.

9. Drain the pasta and let it sit for a minute to cool slightly, then add it to the bowl.

10. Toss vigorously, tongs are your best friend here, loosening with more pasta water as needed until every strand is coated in a glossy sauce.

11. Divide between your warmed bowls straight away, scatter over the remaining pepper, and eat immediately, before the sauce has any chance to cool and tighten up.