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Take out the pecorino early, so it's room temperature. Grate the pecorino romano with a microplane.
Toast the peppercorns in a hot, dry pan until fragrant. Add butter to the skillet, and cook for 1 minute. Grind in a pestle and mortar.
Bring a wide shallow pan of well-salted water to the boil, then add the pasta; it should be covered but not by much, to ensure concentration of starch in the water. Stir occasionally during cooking and, five minutes into the cooking time, scoop out 250ml water into a wide bowl to allow it to cool slightly. Cook the pasta until it is al dente.
Drain the pasta and leave it to cool for a minute.
Meanwhile, put the cheese and most of the pepper in a large, heavy bowl or pan and beat in some of the pasta water very gradually to make first a paste, and then a sauce the consistency of bechamel. Add in the pepper/butter mixture.
Add the pasta and toss furiously while adding enough of the water (you shouldn’t need it all) to make a sauce that coats each strand.
Serve immediately.