1. In a shallow pot or saucepan, bring salted water to a boil (you want the pasta water to be as starchy as possible). Add in your spaghetti and cook until al dente.
2. In a separate, dry pan, add your freshly ground black pepper over medium/low heat. Toast for 2 minutes.
3. Add in a ladle of pasta water and bring to a simmer.
4. Add in your al dente pasta directly to the “sauce”. Stir and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce, stirring frequently. Add pasta water a splash at a time (if needed) until it’s finished cooking. Don’t add too much, you don’t want it to turn watery.
5. While your pasta is cooking, add your freshly grated pecorino Romano in a small mixing bowl. Add in a splash of slightly-cooled pasta water (you don’t want it to be too hot, this can lead to clumling) and stir until you get a thick paste. (Note: the paste in my video was a tad too watery, and my pasta water was too hot)
6. Once your pasta has finished cooking, turn off the heat and add in your pecorino paste (you can add this in sections to avoid clumping). Begin stirring immediately and vigorously, adding in a splash or two of pasta water, and continue stirring until you have a silky sauce that clings to the noodles. You might need to continue adding more pasta water until your sauce perfect.
7. Eat it directly out of the pan or serve with extra pecorino and black pepper. Enjoy!
