...inspired by ThatDudeCanCook. Takes maybe 5 minutes of preparation and a few seconds beyond 10 minutes to finish.
I probably couldn't resist the urge to toss in a few grates of any grana podano and a knob of butter. Whatever the case, this is an excellent base dish—a worthy dish by itself or the basis of something grandiose.
1 Which is to say, "Pasta with garlic and (olive) oil." You'll want to use a fairly decent olive oil here rather than some slightly off or rancid big bottle you bought for cheap at the grocery store.
| 2 cloves | garlic, micro sliced |
| — | bunch Italian parsley, en chiffonade, then cross fine-chopped |
| — | small amount of water, heated2 |
| — | salt the water just a bit (not too much) |
| — | spaghetti or linguine |
2 The water just needs to be barely enough to cook the pasta. The water not totally absorbed by the pasta becomes the sauce. This is also the case for pasta alfredo (the genuine stuff—not that really rich stuff Olive Garden does).
Don't ever fully cook pasta in water (only the first 8 minutes), but later in the sauce (for the last 2 minutes if the directions indicate a total of 10). Respecting this will ensure a) the sauce gets absorbed and b) the consistency of the whole remains much more under your control.
In a skillet, put...
| — | lots of oil |
Heat to medium, add garlic. Do not brown! Stir, drop heat a bit. Add...
| — | chili flakes |
After 10-15 seconds, some pasta water, the the pasta for its remaing time to cook. Toss using tons or sauté flip action. If pasta still too dry, add another ladle of pasta water. And another later (why water should not be too salty). Do not evaporate away all the water because the result will be too greasy.
If you need to leave the pasta to attend to other dishes, just add more water when you come back just before serving and re-do the finish steps above.
Last, add in parsley, toss and serve.