Toast the black peppercorns: 

Step 1 – Heat a small frying pan on low heat and add two tablespoons of whole black peppercorns. Toast the peppercorns for 30 to 45 seconds or until fragrant. You then crush the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle or put them in a ziplock bag, and use a meat tenderizer or rolling pin to crush them.  Set your crushed pepper aside. 

Cooking the pasta:

Step 2 – To get an irresistibly creamy and starchy cheese sauce, start here.  First, fill a large pot with less water than usual. Add ¼ cup of sea salt to the water and bring it to a boil. Cook the pasta until it’s halfway done, following the package instructions – for example, if it says 10 minutes, cook for 5-6 minutes. Then finish cooking the pasta in the next step until it reaches al dente perfection. 

Prepare the pepper water:

Step 3 –  Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the toasted crushed black pepper and one and a half cups of starchy pasta water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente.

Prepare the creamy cheese sauce:

Step 4 –  Take a clean bowl and use a Microplane to grate the pecorino romano cheese blocks finely. Measure approximately 40 to 50 grams of grated cheese per person using a cooking scale. Add starchy cooking water to the cheese and mix until it forms a paste-like consistency.

Assemble the dish: 

Step 5 – Remove the cooked pasta from the stove; slowly add the cheese mixture to the cooked pasta, one bit at a time. Mix the ingredients together quickly and evenly so that all the pasta is completely coated. To avoid clumping and an off texture, avoid adding the cheese sauce to hot pasta at once.

Step 6 – The dish is complete. Finish by grating additional Pecorino Romano and garnish with black pepper. Then enjoy!