Sometimes culinary genius reveals itself in a brilliant gesture rather than in profound technical flourishes. This tangle of pasta demonstrates the genius of restraint. It also embodies the taste and imagination of Valeria Piccini.

Piccini simply calls the dish spaghettone cacio, pepe, e caffè. She frequently offers it as a pasta course at her family restaurant. Il Ristorante Caino (Via Canonica, 3, Montemerano; +39 0564 692 817; dacaino.it) is hidden away in a tiny medieval mountain village in Tuscany’s Maremma. But Piccini’s cooking draws admirers from all over Italy to the 13th century hamlet where sheep and goats may outnumber the 400 human inhabitants. Da Caino earned its first Michelin star in 1991, and has held two since 1999. The dining public and Michelin’s inspectors agree on the magic Piccini creates with minimal fuss.

The genius of this pasta dish relies on the deft combination of stupendous ingredients. Start with perfect egg pasta, add plenty of nutty aged pecorino toscano sheep’s milk cheese, a grind of black pepper, and a dusting of pulverized coffee beans. The result transforms an often one-note dish into a taste sensation. The bitter, nutty coffee dust accents the salt and umami of the cheese.

That’s Piccini’s aim. As she told the Michelin Guide Hong Kong Magazine about a year ago, ‶My culinary philosophy is to be like sunshine: rich, sincere, and able to bring out the true quality of the product. Diners should be able to clearly see and understand what they are eating. Too many restaurants in Europe offer too complicated dishes that diners don’t understand.″

Viva semplicità!