Casa Lawrence and a Recipe for Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe (Spaghetti with Pecorino Cheese and Black Pepper)

Mix the cheese and ground pepper together and set aside. Loreto didn’t put a lot of pepper, maybe 1 ½ tsp as he said those who like more can add it to their plates afterwards.

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water (use less water than usual, as one of the important parts of this dish is the starch, which is needed for the sauce to form correctly) until al dente.

Put the extra virgin olive oil and a small amount of the pasta water into a non-stick skillet, without turning on the burner. Add the grated cheese and pepper, and begin stirring the pasta, off the heat. Loreto says it’s very important not to use heat when stirring in the cheese and pepper or else you will end up with clumps of cheese on the pasta.

Continue to add water as necessary until a sauce begins to form on the pasta. Loreto says that sometimes the simplest dishes are the most difficult, and if this is not done correctly (for example, stirring in the cheese and pepper over heat), the sauce won’t turn out as it should. Serve immediately.