Video: David Vos
The best things in life are simple and the proof, if this dish is anything to go by, is in the pasta.
Spaghetti Agilo Olio e Peperoncino is a traditional Italian dish that was designed to feed the poverty stricken city of Abruzzo. Centuries later, the dish — spaghetti with garlic in oil and chili flakes — is popular not only for its practicality (we do so appreciate a quick dish that doesn’t strain our hip pocket), but also its incredible flavor.
In this week’s edition of Cooking With One Hand, David Vos is sharing his recipe for this classic Italian dish with a side of straight-from-the-oven, universally adored garlic bread, plus a salad for good measure.
And on Saturday December 12 from 4pm – 7pm EST, Bridget Lancaster and Christie Morrison will join David in America’s Test Kitchen where they will be streaming live on Periscope and Twitter to help you find your way around the dish. Don’t forget to use the #CW1H hashtag to show off your newly acquired pasta prowess.
When in Rome
Recipes: David Vos
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Aglio Olio e Peperoncino
Garlic in oil with red pepper flakes
Serves 4
Ingredients
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil ((Which brand should I buy?))
12 cloves garlic — cut into slices as thin as possible
1 whole small chili pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 tablespoons additional extra virgin olive oil
1 pound spaghetti
2 teaspoons (or to taste) salt for boiling pasta water
1/2 cup finely minced flat leaf Italian parsley leaves
1/2 tablespoon additional minced flat leaf Italian parsley leaves
Method
Prep and stage all ingredients, ready to add as needed at stove
Heat salted water in a large pot, readying it for the pasta.
In a cold sauté or frying pan, add cold oil, sliced garlic and the whole chili pepper. Simmer over low heat to make the garlic to bubble ever so slightly. 10 minutes after the garlic starts to bubble, add the chili flakes and salt. Gently stir, moving the garlic and peppers. Don’t mash the garlic. As it simmers it will become translucent and even gelatinous. This can take up to a half hour; don’t rush this step with unnecessarily high heat.
While the sliced garlic heats, sauté the minced garlic in a separate small frying pan over medium heat. Keep stirring and let it brown. Just as it crisps and darkens, turn off flame. You want to crisp this garlic while making sure it doesn’t burn and turn bitter. Reserve the crisped minced garlic and the oil it was cooked in.
As the sliced garlic becomes completely gelatinous, drop the pasta in well-salted boiling water and stir.
Watch the pasta and test constantly, until it is al dente.
Place serving bowl in the bottom of your kitchen sink with the colander you’ll use to strain the pasta sitting on top of it.
Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water to thin the finished dish, if needed.
Strain the cooked pasta into sink, filling the serving bowl with hot water. Leave the bowl set in hot water in the sink, and bring the colander filled with pasta back to the stove.
Turn up the heat on the sliced garlic and chili mixture to medium, as it bubbles vigorously. Remove whole chili pepper (optional). Using tongs, add the strained pasta and parsley to the garlic/chili mixture in the sauté pan. Keep mixing the pasta thoroughly into the garlic/chili mixture. Add the reserved pasta cooking water to thin the mixture, if needed.
In the sink, using gloves and potholders, carefully empty serving bowl of its hot water and bring to stove.
Transfer the pasta, sliced garlic, chili and parsley mixture into the dried, hot serving bowl. Top with crispy minced garlic and the oil it cooked in and serve immediately.
Need help? Watch below as America’s Test Kitchen’s Christie Morrison shares super quick tips for cooking pasta perfectly:
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Garlic Bread a la Tony Signori
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 large Italian bread stick
3 tablespoons chili oil (extra virgin olive oil with red chili pepper flakes to taste, heated and steeped in the oil and strained)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon crushed, minced raw garlic
1 tablespoon grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
Method
Pre heat oven to 300 degrees
Split the loaf of Italian bread lengthwise.
Mix all ingredients and evenly slather the insides of the open loaf.
Place both halves of the loaf back together, making a sandwich.
Wrap and seal the sandwich tightly in aluminum foil.
Place the wrapped bread on a large cookie tray and weigh down with a heavy casserole pan.
Bake for 30 minutes in the oven.
When done, the bread can be kept in a warm, 200-degree oven.
Tangy Bright Vinaigrette a la Michel Barbiere
Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon tarragon, or other herb-flavored vinegar
1 teaspoon dried or fresh tarragon leaves
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
Mix all ingredients, shaking vigorously.
Dress and toss the salad just before serving.
If this isn’t hard enough for you, why not DIY your pasta? America’s Test Kitchen’s Bridget Lancaster explains how:
