Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Pasta With Garlic and Oil)

1. Stage

Cook the pasta: Fill a large, heavy pot with water and add enough salt that it tastes like the sea (2 tablespoons or so). Bring to a boil.  Add the spaghetti and cook until just shy of al dente. You want it ever-so-slightly undercooked. Scoop 1 cup of pasta water out of the pot before draining the spaghetti into a colander.

2. Stage

Make the sauce: Return the pot to the stove and set over medium heat. Add the olive oil and allow it to heat up enough that it sizzles gently when you add a sliver of garlic.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Sauté, stirring constantly, until the garlic turns slightly golden (but don’t let it brown), about 2 minutes.

3. Stage

Toss the pasta: Add the reserved 1 cup of pasta cooking water to the pot and adjust the heat so that the liquid simmers. Add the pasta and cook, stirring regularly with tongs. You want the heat high enough that you hear the sizzle of the liquid.  After a few minutes, when the pasta has absorbed nearly all of the liquid, remove the pot from heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt and the Parmesan and stir well. Taste and add more salt, if needed.  Transfer to a serving bowl (or serve in the cooking pot) and scatter the parsley over the top, if using.  Serve immediately with more Parmesan to pass at the table.  Love the recipe? Leave us stars below!