Pecorino Pepato is a Sicilian-born sheep's milk cheese, today made in Sardegna, that gets its name from the whole black peppercorns dotted right through the paste. The cheese itself is the same recipe family as the classic aged pecorinos of southern Italy, but the pepper is worked into the curds during cheesemaking so every slice gives you a different distribution of peppercorns, some bites pure salty sheep's milk, the next a real piquant hit.

Aged for about 6 months, the paste comes out hard and a little flaky, with that dense, slightly oily texture you get from a well-aged sheep's milk cheese. The flavor leans salty and tangy on the front, with a toasted brown butter note running underneath from the aged sheep's milk, and then the peppercorns kick in with a slow building warmth that hangs on the finish. It's loud, in the best way.

This is a table cheese with real presence. Shave it over fresh pasta with good olive oil, grate it into polenta or risotto, or just put it on a board with honey and figs. The peppercorn bite makes it one of the more conversation-starting cheeses in the case.