CACIO E PEPE with LEMON CHIVE BUTTER and PINK PEPPERCORNS

SERVES 2 TO 3

Romans have pasta down. Cacio e pepe (literally “cheese and pepper”) is one of the simplest and best pasta dishes that ever graced a table. Here I brighten up the traditional butter sauce with lemon and chives and trade off black pepper for the floral zip of pink peppercorns. I like a bit of texture, too, so I top it off with a showering of toasted bread crumbs and, sometimes, Olive Dirt (here). Simple. Perfect. —CHAD

8 ounces dried spaghetti

3 tablespoons plant-based butter

2 tablespoons minced shallots

½ lemon

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

1½ teaspoons crushed pink peppercorns

4 tablespoons plant-based Parmesan, such as from Follow Your Heart

¼ cup seasoned plant-based bread crumbs (see Pro Tip)

Flake salt, such as Maldon

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until tender yet firm, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large, deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Grate the zest from the lemon half into the pan, then squeeze in the lemon juice (through your hand to catch any seeds).

Use a spider strainer or tongs to transfer the pasta directly to the sauté pan. Save the pasta cooking water.

Scoop about ¾ cup pasta cooking water into the sauté pan, then add 1½ tablespoons of the chives and the pink peppercorns. Toss and shake the pan back and forth until the pasta and sauce are creamy. If the sauce seems dry, add a little more pasta water and toss and shake until creamy. Remove from the heat, add 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan, then toss and shake again until creamy.

Dish the hot pasta into 2 or 3 pasta plates. Garnish each serving with the remaining chives and Parmesan, the bread crumbs, and a scattering of flake salt.

Pro Tip

To make your own seasoned bread crumbs, toast ¼ cup plain dry bread crumbs with 2 teaspoons olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat until golden. Stir in 1 teaspoon granulated onion, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley, and ½ teaspoon sea salt. You could also toss in 1 tablespoon plant-based Parmesan such as from Follow Your Heart.