Silky, Sumptuous Spaghetti Aglio, Olio E Peperoncino

By Andreas Papadakis

Friday Aug. 02, 2024

Viva

A family favourite in Italy, this one is a breeze to whip up at home. Photo / Mark Roper

Andreas Papadakis has a cult following for his pasta; patrons flock to his Melbourne eatery Tipo 00, and his new cookbook can help you explore the art at home, whether it’s rolling up your sleeves to try his master pasta dough, or whipping up this simple (and sublime) spaghetti iteration for a quick weeknight dinner.

I feel like every family in Italy must eat this, or a variation of it, a couple of times per week for lunch. Although it’s incredibly tasty, it really doesn’t get any easier than this. The only thing to remember is that the garlic needs to be finely grated (or very finely chopped) and cooked slowly, so the dish doesn’t taste of raw garlic.

SPAGHETTI AGLIO, OLIO E PEPERONCINO RECIPE

Serves 2

225g quality dried spaghetti

100ml olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, finely grated

1 long red chilli, finely chopped

3 Tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 Tbsp finely grated parmesan

Sea salt

Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, according to the instructions on the package.
Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a frying pan over low heat and gently cook the garlic and chilli until the garlic is translucent. When the garlic and chilli are at the perfect point, stop them cooking any further by removing the pan from the heat and adding a splash of the boiling pasta water. Set aside until the pasta is ready.
Drain the pasta (reserving some of the pasta water) and add to the frying pan, then toss over low heat until it is coated really well, adding enough of the pasta water to loosen the sauce. Sprinkle in the parsley and parmesan, season with salt and keep tossing until well emulsified – the sauce should be thick and oily, and flecked with garlic, chilli and parsley.
Serve in warmed bowls.