Pasta Cacio e Pepe

About this recipe, Nosrat wrote: "Caio e pepe is the Roman (and dare I say better) answer to macaroni and cheese. It's traditionally made with pecorino Romano, a salty sheep's milk cheese, and abundant black pepper. Take a few measures to prevent the sauce from clumping: first, use the finest grater you have to grate the cheese so it can melt readily. Next, encourage an emulsion in the pan by swirling together the pepper, oil, and starch pasta water until it comes together. And finally, if your pan isn't roomy enough to toss the pasta, place everything in a big bowl and toss with tongs, adding a little pasta water at a time, until the sauce comes together."

Salt

1 pound spaghetti, bucatini, or tonnarelli pasta

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon very coarsely ground black pepper

4 ounces pecorino Romano, very finely grated (about 2 cups)

Set a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Season generously with salt until it tastes like the summer sea. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking water as you drain the pasta.

In the meantime, heat a large pan over medium heat and add enough olive oil to just coat the bottom. When it shimmers, add the pepper and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add ¾ cup of the pasta cooking water into the pan and let it boil - this will encourage an emulsion to form.

Add the drained pasta to the hot pan, toss to coat the noodles, then sprinkle in all but a handful of the cheese. Use tongs to vigorously toss the pasta, adding more pasta water needed to create a creamy sauce that clings to the pasta without clumping. Taste and adjust salt as need. Garnish with remaining cheese and more coarsely ground pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6

Nutrition values serving based on 4 servings: 593 calories (24.5 percent from fat), 16.1 g fat (6.1 g saturated fat), 86.2 g carbohydrates, 3.3 g sugars, 3.7 g fiber, 23.9 g protein, 30 mg cholesterol, 780 mg sodium.

By permission from: "Salt, Fat, Acid, Hat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking" by Samin Nosrat (2017, Simon and Schuster).