Introduction
Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino is pasta tossed with garlic gently fried in olive oil and a little chili. It is the dish to make when the cupboard is nearly empty, when you come home late, or when you need dinner in fifteen minutes. With only five ingredients, the garlic must not burn and the pasta water does the rest.
It comes from Naples and the south of Italy, where it was everyday food in poor households. Italians often call it the midnight spaghetti, the spaghettata made for friends after an evening out. Cheese is not part of the classic dish.
Ingredients
- 200 g spaghetti
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 dried chili, crumbled, or ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- a handful of parsley, chopped
- salt
Tools
- A large pot
- A large frying pan
- A colander, or tongs to lift the pasta out
Preparation
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt it well. Cook the spaghetti for one minute less than the packet says.
- Meanwhile, put the oil, garlic and chili in the cold frying pan and set it on a low heat. Cook gently for 3 to 5 minutes, until the garlic is pale gold. Take the pan off the heat: brown garlic tastes bitter.
- Before draining the pasta, scoop out a cup of its cooking water.
- Add the spaghetti to the pan with half the cooking water. Put it back on a medium heat and toss for 1 to 2 minutes, until the water and oil turn into a light, glossy sauce. Add more water if it looks dry.
- Add the parsley, toss once more and serve at once.