It’s a peppery pasta

ENOTECA DRAGO’S spaghetti with pepper and pecorino cheese is deceptively simple but really shows off good cheese, says Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila. Best of all, it can be put together quickly with ingredients likely to be on hand. The recipe is from executive chef Michael Young.

Total time: 20 minutes

Servings: 6

1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

1 pound spaghetti

6 tablespoons butter, cut up and softened

4 teaspoons fresh coarsely ground black pepper

1/4 cup warm water

2 cups finely grated pecorino cheese (about 8 ounces)

1. Add the sea salt to 1 gallon water in a large pot and bring the water to a rapid boil. Gently place the spaghetti into the boiling water. Stir the pasta to keep it from sticking together.

2. In a large skillet off the heat, combine the butter, pepper and warm water. Let stand until it’s time to heat the pan.

3. When the pasta is cooked to the desired firmness, about 12 minutes, drain it and place it in the skillet. Saute over very low heat, gently stirring the pasta and sauce, about 1 minute. As soon as the butter has melted, turn off the heat and stir in the pecorino cheese a little at a time. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 544 calories; 26 grams protein; 57 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 25 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 70 mg. cholesterol; 687 mg. sodium.