8 ounces pasta (I recommend bucatini, thick spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine)
3 tablespoons butter (diced into 1-tablespoon chunks)
1 teaspoon freshly-cracked coarse black pepper
2 ounces (about 1 cup) freshly-grated* pecorino or parmesan cheese
optional 3 roma tomatoes - chopped
Directions:
Cook the pasta in a large stockpot of generously-salted water
Boil your pasta according to package instructions until it just barely al dente (try to avoid overcooking the pasta)
While the pasta water comes to a boil finely-grate the cheese by hand
Once the pasta is about 1 minute away from being al dente carefully scoop out 2 cups of the starchy boiling pasta water and transfer the water into a separate heat-proof container
Set aside
Drain the pasta then transfer the pasta back to the hot stockpot placed off of the hot burner.
Add in the diced butter, tomatoes, and 1 cup of the starchy pasta water and toss quickly to combine
Add in the cheese and black pepper and quickly toss to combine
Continue to gradually add in extra starchy pasta water as needed until the cheese has completely melted and turned into a silky sauce that coats the pasta evenly
Dish up the hot pasta and serve immediately garnished with extra cheese and black pepper if desired