Spaghetti a Cacio e Pepe

　　This is the simplest and one of the tastiest pasta dishes in the Roman repertoire, served at home and at every trattoria offering cucina romana or cucina povera (poor folks' cooking).... The trick to making this recipe work is to dilute the cheese and pepper with 1 tablespoon of pasta water per serving, and to amalgamate the ingredients in the pot the pasta water was boiled in, a technique called mantecare, meaning to mix and meld.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

　　Kosher salt or coarse sea salt

　　1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, spaghettoni, tonnarelli or fettuccine

　　About 2 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano

　　1 heaping tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

1. Bring at least 5 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add a tiny pinch of salt. Drop in the pasta, stir and cover the pot. When the water returns to a boil, remove the lid and cook, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.

　　

Step 2

2. Return the still-dripping pasta to the pot in which it was boiled. Away from any direct source of heat, stir in the reserved pasta water and toss vigorously while sprinkling in about 1 cup of the cheese and the pepper.

　　

Step 3

3. Serve immediately in pasta bowls with the remaining 1 cup Pecorino Romano on the side.

　　Cooking the Roman WayHarperCollins