Cacio e Pepe

20240204 #breakfastdiary 964, 0°C/mostly cloudy Is it better to know in advance that some ending is the last one, or better to meet it unknowingly and only realize afterward? Say, if a certain day's meeting is going to be the last, is it better to know beforehand and spend that time together weighed down with sadness, or is it better to have an ordinary, happy time together and only later find out it was the last one? I still don't know. All you need is pecorino and pepper — #cacioepepe, or #pepperpasta Toast 4g of pepper in a pan to bring out the aroma, then crush it in a mortar. (No need to grind it fine.) Finely grate the pecorino cheese and set aside. Boil pasta in water with a pinch of salt (less salt than usual). In a pan, add a ladle of pasta water and the prepared pepper, then add the pasta and mantecare (toss to emulsify). Stir a little cooled pasta water into the cheese to make it creamy. Turn off the heat, add the creamy cheese, mantecare again, plate it, and sprinkle on a little more cheese before eating. I think I put in too much pepper — it was spicy.