The Cacio e Pepe Emulsion

Cacio e pepe is three ingredients and one technique: binding cheese with starchy water so it turns creamy instead of clumping. Cook the pasta in less water than usual so it gets cloudy with starch. Toast cracked black pepper in a dry pan, add a ladle of pasta water. Mix finely grated Pecorino Romano with a little lukewarm pasta water into a paste. Add the drained pasta to the pepper pan, take it off the heat, let it cool for a moment, then stir in the cheese paste with splashes of water. Too much heat makes the cheese turn stringy.