Cacio e pepe is a simple dish to construct but a tricky dish to master. Once you get it right, our preparation will be a lazy weeknight favorite.
The first step is to grate cheese. When we say grate cheese, we mean grate a lot of cheese. To really get the impact of the Pecorino Romano, we recommend grating about 3/4 of cup with a little extra for serving.

Boil four to five cups of water in saucepan or wide skillet. We recommend a skillet with a handle. The handle will make it easier for you to use tongs to grab the pasta later.
Place the pasta in the pot. Because of the small amount of water used to boil the pasta, you may have to bend it to fit the pasta in the pan if you’re using a narrower width pan. Follow the cooking time recommended on the pasta box. We use a small amount of water to create an ideal water to starch ratio.

About three to four minutes before the pasta is done, place a separate wide frying pan over a medium fire. This will heat the pan so you can finish the pasta and sauce.

Before removing the pasta, pour three to four ladlefuls of pasta water into the pan you’re going to use to finish the pasta. If you choose to use a colander, you’ll want to reserve about two cups of the pasta water.

Using tongs, move the bucatini to the frying pan with the reserved pasta water. Stir the pasta water through the pasta until it begins to thicken.

Once the pasta water has thickened (it should be slightly pale white), remove the frying pan from the heat and wait about 20 seconds. You’ll want to be sure that the pasta is off the burner or the cheese will coagulate and separate from the pasta water.
Gradually add the Pecorino Romano to the pasta. The cheese should blend with the pasta water and become thick and creamy.

Add black pepper to taste. We like to grind the pepper from a large pepper mill.
If you choose to pre-grind your black pepper, you’ll need about one to two teaspoons of cracked black pepper.

The goal is to see visible flecks of pepper on every strand of pasta.

After serving the pasta in medium pasta bowls, the final step is to pour wine. We like to drink Italian wine when we eat cacio e pepe pasta at home.