Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe - Skillet Echo

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz spaghetti

→ Cheese & Spices

02 - 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated

03 - 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper, plus extra for serving

→ Others

04 - Salt for pasta water

# How-To:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.

02 - Meanwhile, in a large skillet over low heat, toast the black pepper for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.

03 - Add about 1/2 cup of the reserved hot pasta water to the skillet with pepper and let it simmer.

04 - Add drained spaghetti to the skillet and toss to coat in the peppery water.

05 - Gradually sprinkle in the Pecorino Romano, tossing and stirring vigorously until the cheese melts and a creamy sauce forms, adding more reserved pasta water as needed to achieve a silky texture.

06 - Serve immediately, topped with extra Pecorino Romano and black pepper.

# Expert Advice:

01 -

It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen, but you'll be eating in under half an hour.
The ingredient list is so short you probably already have everything except the cheese.
Once you nail the technique, you'll never need to measure again.
It's impressive enough for guests but easy enough for a tired Tuesday night.

02 -

If the cheese clumps into grainy bits instead of melting smoothly, your pan was too hot, so always work over the lowest heat and add pasta water generously.
Pre-grated cheese from a bag won't work because it contains anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting into a proper sauce.
The pasta water is not optional, it's the emulsifier that turns grated cheese into creamy silk.

03 -