Cook the pasta. Bring water to a boil in a pasta pot. Use a little less salt than you might otherwise. Cook your pasta for 3 minutes under the package directions.

Toast the pepper. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. After grinding your pepper, add all of this to the pan—that’s right, no oil—and let it gently toast, moving it around with tongs until you smell a strong pepper fragrance. This takes about 30 seconds.

Finish the pasta in the skillet. Using tongs, transfer the pasta straight into the skillet with the pepper. Do not drain the pasta pot; this starchy water is now your mixing medium. Use a small dry-measuring cup to scoop some pasta water out of the pot and pour it over the pasta in the skillet. Continue cooking the pasta until it reaches al dente, using tongs to stir it up, about 3 minutes longer.

Make the cheese 'sauce' base. In a bowl or another measuring cup, add the pecorino cheese. Use your measuring cup to again ladle a small amount of pasta water into the cheese, and use a fork to beat it into a paste.

Combine and toss. When the pasta is al dente and the cheese is combined in the cup, lower the skillet’s heat to low. Pour the cheese mixture all over the pasta, then use your tongs to pull the entire 'mop' of pasta around in the pan, tossing it together over the heat until it begins to combine. Keep adding pasta water as needed.

Finish and serve. Shower with freshly ground black pepper, a little more pecorino, a glass of wine, and maybe even a drizzle of truffle oil.