Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino

Spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino is one of the simplest, fastest and classic Italian dishes. I fall in love with Italian food with this dish: I was amazed how the right amount of ingredients can bring out a very distinct flavor. It has already been my favorite Italian dish since long ago. However, when I was in Italy, I noticed that it did not require a lot of olive oil and garlic as I had seen in many recipes. As you know, too much is as bad as too little! You will need only a few ingredients – spaghetti, garlic (aglio), oil (olio), chili (peperoncino) and Italian parsley – in the right amount.

Spaghetti, garlic, chili and Italian parsley

Servings: 1       Preparation: 5 mins       Cooking: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 90 g spaghetti
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 small dried red chili pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped Italian parsley
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt

Tips

Even though spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino is a very simple dish, it does not mean that you can always make it perfect. That’s because there are a few tips you must know before cooking pasta. I would like to share something I learned from my mistakes! I know most of you already knew how to cook pasta properly, however, I hope everybody can cook pasta the right way!

• Plenty of water
  At least 3-4 liters of water in a large pot. If water is not enough or a pot is too small, pasta will cook unevenly and stick together.
• Coarse salt
  The best time to add coarse salt is after water is boiling. I used to put only a pinch of salt, but that was not enough! Coarse salt is especially convenient when used by hand.
• Cooking time
  The best way is to check first the suggested cooking time on the package, and then set a timer 2 or 3 minutes earlier. When the alarm fires, check the condition of pasta so that it is al dente. Keep in mind that pasta will continue to cook on the pan with the sauce, as well as in the pasta bowl. Therefore you should serve it as soon as possible.
• After pasta is ready
  Drain pasta and keep some of the water, in case you may need for the sauce. Remember: do not wash nor rinse pasta!
• Chili
  If you like a mildly spicy flavor, you can remove seeds from the dried chili before cooking.

Here are more detailed tips on how to cook pasta.

Here we go! It is well done!

Preparation

1. Prepare sliced garlic, chili pepper and chopped Italian parsley. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot with plenty of water to a boil. Cover it with a lid, so as to help water to boil faster.
3. Once water is boiling add coarse salt. Add spaghetti and stir with a wooden spoon a few times.
4. In the meantime, heat extra-virgin olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and the chili. Cook them until light golden brown.
5. When spaghetti are al dente, drain them well and immediately move them into the garlic oil sauce pan. Add the chopped parsley and toss.

How simple but also how delicious!

Here is my simple pasta, spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino!

Buon appetito!

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