Cacio e pepe

This Roman impostor is very popular in Venice and has had something of a revival in London and New York of late, too. I can understand why – it’s the perfect dish. There are two principal ingredients and they work together to create something that’s greater than the sum of their parts. It’s such a comforting classic I’m surprised it’s not done more often.

SERVES 4 PREP 5 mins COOK 20 mins EASY

handful of black peppercorns 400g tonnarelli or spaghetti large knob of good butter 300g finely grated pecorino Romano 1 First, put the black peppercorns in a small frying pan over a high heat. Dry-fry them for 2 mins, shaking the pan frequently. Set aside until they are cool, then put into a mortar and pound with the pestle until roughly ground.

2 Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta following pack instructions. When the pasta is al dente, drain, but retain the cooking water and leave it on a medium heat. Set the drained pasta aside.

3 Now, speed is of the essence. In a separate large, heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter over a medium heat and scatter in most of the grated pecorino, stirring quickly with a wooden spoon. Still stirring, use a ladle to add a little of the cooking water to the pan. Keep the spoon going, adding more cooking water if necessary to create a smooth, glossy sauce. Add the drained pasta and continue to stir until every strand is coated, adding a little more cooking water if the sauce looks too stiff (but be careful not to make it too watery). Serve immediately on four warmed plates and scatter a generous amount of the toasted ground peppercorns and the rest of the pecorino onto the mounds of steaming, cheesy pasta.

PER SERVING 605 kcals • fat 30g • saturates 18g • carbs 54g • sugars 2g • fibre 4g • protein 28g • salt 3.5g