There are many variations of spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino a typical central-southern Italian dish, though a lot of attention must always be paid to the cooking of the garlic and the chilli pepper, as they must not brown.
Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino: the perfect recipe
Ingredients for 4 servings
Time 20 mins
350 g spaghetti
50 g extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
parsley
fresh chilli pepper
salt
How to make traditional spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino
Choose two large garlic cloves and crush them with the flat blade of a knife, as it will make them easier to peel, then chop finely.
Cut a fresh chilli pepper in half, remove the seeds and chop it. Finely chop a small bunch of parsley as well (to taste). You can also add a few leaves of chopped marjoram or 2-3 crushed grains of pepper to make the condiment even more flavoursome.
Place the oil, garlic and chilli pepper in a large frying pan and sizzle for a couple of minutes.
Bring abundant salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti.
Add the parsley to the pan with the garlic as well as 4-5 spoons of pasta water. Drain the spaghetti when al dente, sauté in the pan with the condiment and serve immediately.
