Spaghetti With Crushed Black Pepper And Pecorino Cheese

How can a recipe so short on ingredients be so tall on the sensory scale? This is a recipe tear sheet that I just got around to making and I found myself asking this exact question. My husband and I were in sync: first bite, not bad; second bite, pretty good; third bite, addicted. I think this is because the abundance of pepper leaves a delayed kick of spice. This dish was so good that we both had seconds.

Spaghetti With Crushed Black Pepper And Pecorino

salt for the pasta water
2 T fresh ground pepper (pepper corns ground in a mill or grinder)
1 lb spaghetti (look for Ezekiel sprouted grain at natural food markets or at Whole Foods; otherwise Barilla offers a whole grain spaghetti)
1 1/2 c freshly grated imported, aged Pecorino cheese

Bring a large stock pot of salted water to a rolling boil.Cook the spaghetti al dente and remove with tongs, drain and move to a warm bowl. Add the cheese and most of the ground pepper to the pasta and toss quickly. As you mix, sprinkle a few spoonfuls of hot water from the cooking pot to moisten and combine the ingredients. Taste and add the remaining pepper to taste.  Serve hot.

Serves 6-8.



Source:  The Los Angeles Times, Lidia Bastianich