This is how you make the very best pasta aglio olio at home
Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the foodies of online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our chefs serve you the recipe for the very best pasta aglio olio.
Spaghetti AOP, as enthusiasts like to abbreviate this dish. Simple but effective. With a minimum of ingredients, maximum flavor, and super quick to prepare.
Ingredients
- 500 g spaghetti
- 1 fresh red chili pepper
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 200 ml olive oil
- coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese or pecorino, grated (optional)
Here’s how to make it
1. Bring a large pot of water and salt to a boil. Add the spaghetti to the pot.
2. Slice a fresh red chili pepper into rings. Use more or less red pepper depending on how spicy you want the dish to be. Slice the garlic into 1 millimeter thick slices.
3. Place a frying pan over low heat with a generous splash of oil. Add 1 sliced clove of garlic when the oil is still cold. Gradually increase the temperature to medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat just before the garlic starts to fry. Add another generous splash of cold oil and return to the heat. Repeat this a few times for 6 to 7 minutes until all the garlic has infused into the oil. The trick is to let the garlic release its flavor into the oil by gently simmering it over medium heat, without frying and browning the garlic.
4. Increase the heat slightly once all the garlic slices are in the pan. Add the red pepper and let it sauté for a few minutes until all the garlic is lightly golden brown.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and add a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water to the hot garlic oil (be careful of splashes).
6. Remove the pasta from the pot when it is al dente and drain in a colander. Save a cup of the cooking water. Toss the pasta well in the garlic-oil mixture in the pan. Add some cooking water if the mixture becomes too dry. The oil should cling well to the shiny spaghetti.
7. Add 1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese or pecorino to taste. Serve immediately.
