This simple recipe is easily adaptable to various hard grated cheeses and various peppercorn medleys or other ground or flaked peppers.
Some folks like to give this a final toss with a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil - My preference would be San Macario EVOO (Italian - it is light with a buttery consistency).
A sauce is actually a either a semiliquid or a liquid, therefore, the grated cheese pepper mixture is a dry dressing.
One could substitute a butter-cheese sauce for the grated cheese, but not the pepper - you will still need 1 Tbsp. of the pepper.
Al Dente: the point at which the hard center core of the spaghetti becomes undetectable - but, the pasta is firm to tooth completely through the stand of spaghetti. Most Italian home cooks serve pasta at al dente.
Note: the spaghetti will continue to cook for about 30 seconds after removing from heat, so drain the spaghetti about 30 seconds before it reaches al dente.
Cooked pasta waits on nothing and nobody, sauce will. But with this recipe, all preparations can be performed while the pasta water is coming to a boil. Still, I never start cooking pasta until all who are going to eat it are present.
Never over-sauce any pasta - my philosophy is that one should be able to taste both the pasta and the sauce, not just the sauce. If all one can taste is the sauce, why bother with pasta, just make and eat the sauce.
Everything about this dish is quick and you must serve it quick - while "Hot" - this particular dish cools quickly. It is very popular in central and southern Italy, the favorite of many a hungry cook when on break while working the line in a large kitchen of a big city restaurant.
I hope you enjoy this often over-looked little jewel.
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This is a great recipe. I prefer to use grated Reggiano Parmesan. A little olive oil and some pasta water. Since the cheese is dry the oil and water help keep it moist. The cheese and the pepper are all the flavoring you need. I used Angel Hair pasta as well. So easy to make and so delicious.