“They’ve ruined another perfectly good plate of spaghetti,” thought eight-year-old Zoe. Her Italian cousins had made the sauce and, as usual, had added basil. Zoe knew better than to complain—Mama had already told her not to mention the basil at the table.
This Greek-style spaghetti sauce avoids herbs and instead uses whole peppercorns to lend a sweet, warm spiciness that’s very different from the bite of ground pepper.
Ingredients (Approximate)
some myzithra cheese for grating
1/3 cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 1/2 pounds tomatoes, grated (about 4 cups) or an equivalent amount of canned tomato sauce
a dozen whole peppercorns
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 tsp sugar
Instructions
Start by grating the myzithra cheese. Myzithra is hard and brittle and can be awkward to grate by hand, so a food processor makes this step much easier. Break the cheese into chunks and process until it reaches a texture similar to the packaged grated parmesan—fine, sandy crumbs that will melt nicely over pasta.
Process until the myzithra resembles coarse sand; the result is a light, crumbly cheese that works well as a topping.
Warm 1/3 cup olive oil in a heavy pot, enough to form a thin layer covering the bottom. When the oil is heated, add the chopped onion and the garlic. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5–10 minutes until the onion is soft and beginning to turn translucent. If you’re using a nonstick pot, stir occasionally; if not, stir more frequently to prevent sticking.
Once the onion is soft, add the grated tomatoes (or canned tomato sauce) along with the whole peppercorns, salt, ground black pepper, and sugar. Stir to combine.
Bring the sauce to a simmer and let it boil gently, uncovered, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Cook until the sauce has slightly thickened, about 30 to 45 minutes. The whole peppercorns will infuse the sauce with a warm, rounded heat without the sharpness of ground pepper.
While the sauce finishes, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil for the spaghetti. The quantities above make plenty of sauce for about 1/2 pound of spaghetti (two servings). If you’re cooking a full pound of pasta, consider doubling the recipe.
Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions, drain, and plate. Spoon the hot sauce over each serving and finish with a generous sprinkle of grated myzithra. If you don’t have myzithra, a hard cheese like kefalotyri or parmesan makes a suitable substitute.
