Pasta with Garlic & Olive Oil

This is pasta aglio e olio, the legendary three-ingredient Italian dish that Italians cook when there is nothing in the kitchen. Spaghetti, good olive oil, and garlic. That is the entire ingredient list, and yet the technique separates a bad version from a transcendent one.

The recipe offers two paths. The raw-garlic version is sharper, more pungent, and tastes of the garlic itself. The toasted-golden version is sweeter, mellower, and nuttier, with the garlic flavor folded into the oil rather than aggressively front. Both are correct depending on your mood.

The golden version is the more famous of the two. Heat thinly sliced garlic gently in the oil until just golden, never brown (brown garlic turns bitter and ruins the whole dish). Pull the pan off the heat the second the color shifts. Residual heat will finish the cooking.

The pasta must be cooked al dente. Drain (saving a half cup of pasta water for emulsifying if needed) and toss immediately in the warm garlic oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve at once, while everything is still piping hot.

Pro Tips

• Use the best olive oil you have. With only three ingredients, the oil’s quality is half the dish.
• Slice the garlic thinly rather than mincing. Slices toast more evenly than minced bits, which scorch in seconds.
• Reserve a half cup of starchy pasta water before draining. A splash creates an emulsified, glossy coating.
• Toss aggressively in a warm bowl so the oil and starch combine into a light sauce.

Variations

• Add a generous pinch of red pepper flakes with the garlic for the proper Italian-American aglio e olio e peperoncino.
• Toss with a handful of chopped fresh parsley at the end for color and brightness.
• Add capers, lime zest, and cayenne for a sharper Latin-influenced version (from the original recipe variations).