No cream, no garlic, no distractions. Just pecorino, black pepper, pasta water, and timing. This page treats the dish like a small ceremony: sharp heat, glossy emulsion, and a bowl that feels richer than its parts.
Toast the pepper in a wide pan over medium heat for 45 seconds until it smells warm and floral, not burnt.
Boil pasta in lightly salted water. Use less salt than usual because the cheese is aggressive enough.
When the pasta is two minutes from done, ladle starchy water into the pepper pan and bring it to a glossy simmer.
Lift the pasta into the pan. Toss hard. Let the starch coat everything before any cheese enters the room.
Kill the heat. Add pecorino in three additions with splashes of pasta water, tossing between each until the sauce turns lacquered.
Plate immediately and finish with more pepper. Eat before the emulsion thinks too hard about itself.
A single-dish recipe deserves more than a food-blog template. This layout acts like a plated close-up: one dominant image, one disciplined ingredient list, and one uninterrupted sequence of actions. Nothing competes with the timing.