Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

• total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Kosher salt

8 ounces (225 grams) dried spaghetti, or any pasta you have around

4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil, plus more to finish

4 cloves garlic, minced, or whatever amount feels right

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and/or many grinds of black pepper

A big handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

In well-salted water, boil your spaghetti until it’s 1 to 2 minutes shy of done. Before draining it, set aside 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the rest.

In your empty pan, combine olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes and then turn the heat to medium. [Starting the mixture cold is how I keep the garlic from cooking too fast.]

Cook, stirring, until the garlic begins to take on a golden color.

Add the drained pasta and half the reserved cooking water and heat together, stirring vigorously, until the pasta water and garlic oil combine to make a glossy coating for the spaghetti. Add more of the reserved pasta water as needed to keep it loose — I almost always use the second half-cup.

Toss in parsley, any additional seasoning, if needed, and serve right away with an extra drizzle of olive oil on top.