Easy salt and pepper pasta (Cacio e Pepe)

This is the easiest dinner you could possibly make. Add some crushed red pepper for a little kick and please, please, please freshly grind your pepper!

This recipe is the embodiment of five-ingredient perfection! Farm-fresh eggs, fresh pasta, and good Parmesan turned the dish into a gourmet delight. The sauce comes together so easily and yet is so unctuous, creamy, and sophisticated. Really a wonderful example of simple ingredients creating a memorable dish. And so simple to throw together.

SERVES 2 to 4

12 oz pasta (spaghetti or bucatini)
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago, as needed
1 egg yolk

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add some salt to the water (not too much, as you will use this water for your sauce).
Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions.
Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.

In the same pot the pasta was boiled in, add 1/3 cup of the pasta water. Melt your butter into this and add the pepper. Return the cooked pasta to the pot and toss to coat.
Add the cheese and egg yolk and, using tongs, toss the ingredients together until combined.
If the pasta seems a little sticky, add the remaining pasta water.
If it’s a little wet, add more cheese.
Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.