Cooking with Wine

Put the cheeses and the olive oil in a bowl and set aside.

Fill a large pot halfway with water (about 4 quarts of water is perfect) and 1 Tbsp of salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the large pot of salted water and cook until about 75-80% done (follow the package directions for timing).

A couple minutes before the pasta is ready, heat a large skillet (large enough to hold all the pasta) over medium heat and add the cracked black pepper for about 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to low and add 3 ladles (about 1 cup) of the hot starchy pasta water to the pan with the pepper and allow it to simmer on low heat.  Remove the partially cooked pasta from the water and add to the pan with the pepper and stir to combine and continue to simmer. The pasta will cook until done (al dente) in the pan.

Meanwhile, add 1 ladle (about 1/3 cup) of the starchy pasta cooking water to the bowl of grated cheese. Vigorously whisk the cheese and the pasta water to create a thick paste/sauce consistency. Add the emulsified sauce to the pan with the pasta and stir to combine. This should create a perfect consistency, but you can add more pasta water if needed to thin it out. The salty cheeses used in this dish may be enough salt for your taste, but taste for seasoning and add additional salt as needed.

Serve with additional grated pecorino and/or parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper if desired. Buon appetito!