Method
Have a pot of salted, water boiling (enough to cover the pasta but not too much) and a heavy based pan set to one side ready. Add the pasta into the water and stir. Allow the pasta to cook for one minute while you allow the pan to heat up over a high heat. Take a ladle of the pasta water and allow to reduce by 2/3rds while the pasta cooks. Add in the butter and pepper. Reserve a mugful of the cooking water and drain off the pasta. Add the pasta into the water and scatter over the parmesan. Beat everything together to form a smooth sauce, add in a splash of the cooking water and allow to cook out to form a smooth sauce that coats the pasta. Tip the lot onto a plate and eat immediately.
Movie Recommendation: The Big Night (1996)
Two Italian brothers struggle with the trials and tribulations of running a restaurant in 1950s New Jersey. Now, if we were to recommend the showstopper pasta dish cooked in the Big Night, firstly we'd have to know their secret recipe and secondly it certainly would not constitute a quick and simple dish! Instead, the fantastic Cacio e Pepe will allow you to settle into this classic movie in 15 minutes flat.
