Cacio e Pepe

Ingredients

¾ cup Pecorino Romano cheese (grated on the smallest holes of a box grater)
½ pound bucatini
1 tablespoon salt
ground black pepper (about 1 to 2 teaspoons – to taste)
additional grated Pecorino Romano (for serving)

Directions

Boil the bucatini in 4 to 5 cups of salted water. (We like to add about a tablespoon of sea salt or table salt.) If necessary, gently bend the pasta so that it’s completely submerged. Cook per instructions on the pasta box.

Heat a 10-12″ pan to medium about 4 minutes before the pasta is ready.

Just before removing the cooked pasta, transfer 3 to 4 ladles of pasta water (about 1.5 cups) into the finishing pan.

Use tongs to transfer the pasta to the finishing pan. If you choose to use a colander to drain the pasta first, reserve about 1 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.

Mix the bucatini with the starchy pasta water until the a starchy liquid forms. Remove from heat.

Add the Pecorino Romano and mix until the sauce is creamy.

Once the pasta and sauce are done, mix in a generous amount of ground black pepper to taste.

Grate additional Pecorino Romano on the top of the pasta as desired.