Servings: 4
Source: Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan
This is one of the easiest, quickest, and tastiest pasta dishes you can prepare. Its humble origins are in the shanty towns of Rome, but it is now a universal favorite, especially among Rome’s chic insomniacs, who depend upon a wee hours’ spaghettata to see them through the night until their early-morning bedtime.
In most versions, crushed garlic cloves are sautéed in olive oil until they are nearly black. They are then discarded and the spaghetti is seasoned with the flavored oil. In this recipe the garlic is chopped, sautéed lightly, and left in the oil to be added to the spaghetti. The result is a fuller yet milder taste of garlic, with no trace of bitterness.
Ingredients
½ cup plus I tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons very finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoon salt
1 pound spaghetti or spaghettini
Freshly ground pepper, 6 to 8 twists of the mill
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
hot pepper flakes (optional)
8 oz jumbo shrimp (optional)
Directions
The sauce can be prepared in the time it takes to bring the water for the spaghetti to a boil. When you’ve turned on the heat under the water, put the 1/2 cup oil, the garlic, and salt in a very small saucepan. Sauté the garlic over very low heat, stirring frequently, until it slowly becomes a rich, golden color.
Drop the spaghetti into the boiling salted water and cook until tender but al dente, very firm to the bite. Drain immediately, transfer to a warm bowl, and add the oil and garlic sauce. Toss rapidly, coating all the strands, adding pepper and parsley and hot pepper flakes to taste. Mix the remaining tablespoon of olive oil into the spaghetti and serve. Serve with shrimp if desired.