1 1/2
C
finely grated pecorino Romano plus more for dusting completed dish
1
C
finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1
Tbsp
ground black pepper plus more for finishing the dish
3/4
lb
tonnarelli or other long pasta like linguine or spaghetti
2
tsp
good olive oil
Instructions
Put a pot of salted water on to boil. When it boils, add the pasta and cook til just before al dente. Take a cup of the pasta water and set aside for the sauce.
While the pasta is cooking, get your finely grated cheese in a bowl, ladle in a bit of pasta water and whisk until it becomes a more-or-less homogeneous paste, then thin the paste to the desired consistency by whisking in more pasta water before pouring the whole thing into a skillet and tossing with the pasta.
OR use a second pan over medium low heat, to heat olive oil and freshly cracked pepper. When you can smell the pepper, add in the finely grateful cheese, a small portion at a time and a tiny bit of pasta water at the same time. If it starts to clump, there's nothing you can do and you'll have to throw it out. Clumping means the heat was too high or there wasn't enough moisture.
Drain the pasta and let it cool for a minute before adding it to the sauce pan. Stir vigorously to coat the pasta, adding a teaspoon or two of olive oil and a bit of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce if necessary. The sauce should cling to the pasta and be creamy but not watery.
