Spaghetti with Cheese, Pepper, and Sea Urchins

To prepare the spaghetti with cheese, pepper, and sea urchins, the first thing you need to do is make the pecorino fondue. Take the Tuscan pecorino and cut it into cubes of about 3/4 inch on each side 1, then do the same with the Romano pecorino 2. The cubes don’t need to be perfectly identical, but the more uniform they are, the better they will melt in the milk. Transfer both into a bowl and set aside 3.   

At this point, in another small bowl, pour the cornstarch 4 and 1/4 cup of milk 5. Mix with a whisk until it is completely dissolved and you obtain a kind of batter 6. 

Pour the remaining 1 1/4 cups of milk into a saucepan and bring it to a boil 7. Only at this point can you add the cornstarch diluted in the milk to the saucepan 8, stirring quickly with a whisk 9. 

Continue cooking for about 1 minute while stirring, then add the pecorino cubes 10. Now you can turn off the heat and cover the saucepan with plastic wrap 11; let it infuse for about 5 minutes. After this time, blend the mixture with an immersion blender 12 until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous fondue. The consistency will be rather liquid; you will need to wait for the starches to work to make it creamier and thicker.

Proceed to prepare the sea urchin ragù. First, open the sea urchins with the appropriate tool 1. If you don't have the specific tool to open sea urchins, you can use scissors, but in this case, you shouldn't cut the sea urchin horizontally. Insert the scissors into the small hole at the base of the sea urchin 2 since the concave part is softer and does not require strong pressure. Divide the sea urchin into two 3. Since water will come out when opening the sea urchin, we recommend doing this operation over a bowl. 

At this point, using a teaspoon or a fork, scoop out only the red part 4, avoiding the black part, and transfer it to a small bowl. Continue this way for all the sea urchins 5. Once you have cleaned all the sea urchins, crush the clove of garlic in its skin by placing it between a sheet of parchment paper and applying gentle pressure with your hands 6.

Pour a drizzle of oil into a saucepan, add the garlic, and let the oil become fragrant for a moment. First, add the pasteurized sea urchins 7, then the fresh ones 8, stir 9, and reduce the heat to the minimum. 

Add the tomato sauce 10 and 3 or 4 basil leaves 11. Stir for no more than 15-20 seconds; it just needs to warm slightly. At this point, turn off the heat and cover with plastic wrap; set aside 12.  

Prepare the pepper infusion by pouring the water into a saucepan 1 and setting it on high heat. Then, on a cutting board, place a sheet of parchment paper and pour the four types of pepper into the center 2. Fold the sheet to cover them and use a meat tenderizer to crush them 3.

You will get a pepper mignonette 4, which will have a greater intensity than the whole grain. Then pour them into the water 5 and let them infuse for about 1 minute. Strain everything into a large pan (or a wide skillet), where you will later toss the pasta 6.

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, lightly salted water 1 and about halfway through cooking, turn on the heat under the pan with the pepper infusion to reduce it 2. Meanwhile, retrieve the fondue and you will immediately notice that it has changed consistency: it will have become much thicker 3 thanks to the action of the starch. 

Drain the pasta when there are a couple of minutes left to the end of cooking and transfer it directly into the pan with the pepper infusion 4. Then add the butter 5 and the pecorino fondue 6, then mix and toss everything.

Add a drizzle of oil 7, a grind of Sarawak black pepper 8, and toss the pasta for 1-2 minutes 9. 

Now everything is ready, you can plate it. Using a ladle and tongs, create a nest of spaghetti, twirling them 10 and transferring it onto the plate 11. Place a spoonful of sea urchin ragù on top 12 

and with a microplane (or a regular grater), grate some Tuscan pecorino on top 13. Decorate with a grind of Sarawak black pepper, a drizzle of oil, and two basil leaves 14. The spaghetti with ragù and sea urchins is ready 15, serve it immediately!