Grate the Pecorino Romano DOP and set it aside.

Bring water to a boil, using half of what you would usually use to cook pasta. This helps the water be richer in starch.

When the water boils, add the salt and cook the spaghetti or tonnarelli.

In the meantime, crush the black peppercorns in a mortar and pestle to maximize aromatics.

Toast half of the crushed black peppercorns in a non-stick pan on low heat. Then, add some of the pasta water. You should see bubbles appear from the starch in the water. 

Cook the spaghetti or tonnarelli to 80 per cent (just before al dente). The pasta should still be a bit undercooked. Drain the pasta and set aside some pasta water to use later.

Add the pasta to the pan with the crushed black peppercorns and some pasta water and continue cooking it in the pan, stirring it continuously to let it breathe. Ladle in more pasta  water whenever you see the pan is almost completely dry.

In the meantime, prepare the Pecorino Romano cream. Pour almost half the grated Pecorino Romano into a bowl, keeping some to garnish with later. Add a ladle of pasta water to the bowl. Stir vigorously with a whisk to achieve a cream-like consistency without lumps. 

Go back to your pan and finish cooking the pasta to al dente, adding more water if needed. Then, finish with the Pecorino Romano cream. Turn off the heat source to the pan before adding. The key is to whisk it just before it hits the pan, then stir the pasta continuously so the Pecorino Romano cream emulsifies with the rest of the sauce. 

Transfer your beautiful Cacio e Pepe into a serving dish and garnish with grated Pecorino Romano and fresh cracked black pepper. Enjoy!