Ingredients for 4 people
- 400 g (14 oz) spaghetti, bronze-die durum wheat
- 6 tablespoons (90 ml / 3 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil — the real star
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 dried hot chillies crumbled, or 1 tsp chilli powder
- Fresh parsley chopped (a generous tablespoon)
- Sea salt for the pasta water
No Parmesan: traditionally aglio e olio isn't finished with cheese.
The correct method
- Bring water to boil with coarse salt (10 g per litre / ~2 tsp per quart).
- Cook spaghetti al dente, 1-2 minutes less than package time.
- Meanwhile: warm the oil in a wide pan over low heat. Add sliced garlic.
- Garlic should turn golden, never burnt. About 2-3 minutes. If it browns dark, restart.
- Add chilli: 30 seconds in the hot oil, careful not to burn (becomes bitter).
- Turn off the heat. Add 2 ladles of pasta water: the oil emulsifies with the starch and becomes creamy.
- Drain spaghetti al dente, toss into the pan over high heat for 30-60 seconds. Add chopped parsley.
- Serve immediately in warm plates. A drizzle of fresh oil over each plate: this changes everything.
Mistakes that ruin aglio e olio
- Burning the garlic: burnt garlic tastes bitter. Low heat, eyes always on it.
- Using mediocre oil: with 4 ingredients, each matters fully. Poor oil = poor dish.
- Skipping the pasta-water emulsion: without it, the dish feels "dressed in oil", not "creamy"
- Parsley at the start: it cooks and loses aroma. Add at the end.