Spaghetti aglio e olio
Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil (Spaghetti aglio e olio). Spaghetti aglio e olio is a traditional Italian pasta dish from Naples. It is a typical dish of Neapolitan cuisine and is widely popular. Its popularity can be attributed to its being simple to prepare and the fact that it makes use of inexpensive, readily available ingredients that have long shelf lives in a pantry.
Ingredients
Salt
2 to 3 whole fresh peperoncini (small red chiles), or small dried red chiles
⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
¾ pound linguine or spaghetti
Preparation
Put a pot of salted water on to boil. Remove the stems of the peperoncini, halve them lengthwise, then slice them into ¼-inch lengths. Put the oil, garlic, and peperoncini in a large deep pan set over medium-high heat, and cook until the garlic is translucent and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the parsley to the pan, and turn off the heat.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta until it is al dente, nearly but not quite done, and still a bit chalky in the middle. Drain, and reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
When the oil has cooled for a couple of minutes, add ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, and reduce over high heat by about half. Add the pasta, and stir vigorously as it continues to cook. Add the reserved pasta water a bit at a time as necessary to finish cooking the pasta, and develop the thickened sauce. Season with salt, and serve.
Keywords: Main Pasta Italian
