Recipe: Paola's Potato and Pasta Soup
From Adventures of an Italian Food Lover: With Recipes from 254 of My Very Best Friends, Clarkson Potter

3/4 cup peeled and diced potato
Sea salt
1 ounce finest quality spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Put 2 cups water, the potato and salt to taste in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes or until the potato is almost cooked. Add the broken pasta and simmer for 10 minutes more.

While the pasta is cooking, mash the garlic in a mortar, then add the pepper and crush coarsely. Add to the soup and continue cooking until the pasta is cooked al dente. Ladle the soup into a bowl and top with a drizzle of extra virgin and the Parmigiano-Reggiano.