serves
2
prep
10 minutes
cook
10 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
2
people
preparation
10
minutes
cooking
10
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Please buy bronze die pasta, as it will make lots of difference to the end result; you need the roughness of the bronze die to get the sauce to stick to the pasta.
Ingredients
- 40 black peppercorns, plus freshly coarse-ground black pepper, to serve
- 225 g dried spaghetti, bronze die quality
- 100 g pecorino, finely grated
- salt
Instructions
- Fill a large saucepan with 3 litres of water, add 1 tbsp salt and place over a high heat. Bring to the boil.
- Place the peppercorns on a board and crush with a cooking hammer (or use a mortar and pestle or the end of a rolling pin and a plastic bag).
- Cook the spaghetti in the salted boiling water for 3 minutes less than instructed on the packet, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, place a large frying pan or a wok over a high heat and add the crushed peppercorns. Toast for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Pour in 1 full ladle of the pasta cooking water. It will immediately start to bubble; keep it bubbling for 30 seconds. Set aside.
- Place the cheese in a bowl. Pour in half a ladle of the cooking water and mix/fold with a spatula for 1 minute to create a very thick creamy sauce.
- Using large tongs, lift the spaghetti from its saucepan, tip into the pan with the pepper, then place over a high heat. Do not discard the pasta cooking water. Pour 2 ladles of the cooking water over the pasta and continue to mix with a wooden spoon, or toss, for 2 minutes. The more you toss/mix the pasta, the creamier the sauce will become. Switch off the heat and immediately pour the thick cheese mixture over the pasta.
- Quickly start to mix all together for 30 seconds, making sure each strand of pasta is coated with the cheese. Pour half a ladle more cooking water over the pasta and stir for a further minute, creating a beautiful creamy texture. Keep tossing the pasta until you have a creamy cheese sauce. If needed, add a little more cooking water, to make it even creamier.
- Serve immediately, pouring over any remaining cheese sauce from the pan, and sprinkling a little more freshly coarse-ground pepper on top.
Recipe and image from
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
Please buy bronze die pasta, as it will make lots of difference to the end result; you need the roughness of the bronze die to get the sauce to stick to the pasta.
