Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried spaghetti
- 1/2 cup good-quality olive oil
- 6 to 8 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
- Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of 4 Quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 heaping Tablespoon of Kosher or Sea Salt to the water. When the water returns to a boil, add spaghetti and cook until nearly al dente (check pasta packaging for cook times).
- About 3 minutes after you add the spaghetti to the boiling salted water, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it is lightly golden. Once the garlic is lightly golden, add a small ladle of the pasta water to help stop the garlic from browning further. (If the garlic brown or burns, it will become bitter)
- Once the spaghetti is ready, use tongs to transfer the pasta to the sauté pan, along with 1/4 cup of the hot starchy pasta water. Toss the pasta continuously until it is evenly coated and the garlic sauce begins to emulsify with the pasta water. If the sauce looks a bit too dry, add in another 1/4 cup of the starchy pasta water.
- Check for taste and an extra pinch of salt and/or crushed red pepper flakes if needed. If you choose to add parsley, now would be the time to do so. Mix in the parsley until it is fully incorporated.
- Plate spaghetti and sprinkle with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, if so desired.
- Buon Appetito!
