Spaghetti aglio e olio is one of those basic recipes that just about every household in Italy, and every Italian American household, has made at one time or another. Searching for flavors of home, Italian immigrants could create a tasty dish with just pasta, olive oil, and flavorful garlic. The simplicity of these three ingredients and the technique used here is what makes it so good. Do not burn the garlic, and add pasta water to make it into a sauce—the secret is as simple as that. In my recipe, I have added some shredded basil, since I’ve found in my travels that the addition of basil to a garlic-and-oil sauce is quite common. I often add basil to recipes: when in season, it brings freshness and that pleasant garden bouquet to many dishes.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　Kosher salt to taste

　　10 garlic cloves, sliced

　　1/3 cup olive oil, plus more as needed

　　1 pound spaghetti

　　1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes

　　1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

　　1 packed cup fresh basil leaves, shredded

　　1/2 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

　　

Step 2

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, and let sizzle until it begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Once you begin to cook the garlic, drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and give it a stir.

　　

Step 3

Once the garlic is golden, toss in the peperoncino and let toast for a minute, then ladle in 2 cups pasta water and stir. Bring the sauce to a rapid boil, and season with salt to taste (depending in part on how salty your pasta water is). Once the sauce has reduced by about half and the spaghetti is al dente, ladle the pasta from the water and into the sauce. Sprinkle in the parsley. Cook and toss to coat the pasta with the sauce. Remove from heat, and add the basil and grated cheese. Toss once more, adding a final drizzle of olive oil, and serve immediately.

　　

notes

Step 4

This recipe can be transformed into a different sauce without major effort or investment. You can add four anchovy fillets when you cook the sliced garlic, or add 1/2 cup drained capers when you add the pasta water, or you can add both.

　　Reprinted with permission from Lidia's Italy in America by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2011 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.