Hot Pepper & Garlic Spaghetti

Forget sauteing garlic in a pan. This spaghetti absorbs its heat and flavor from the cooking water itself. Hot chili peppers and garlic get blended into a pungent puree, strained into boiling salted water, and the pasta cooks directly in that spicy broth. Every strand soaks up the garlic-chili flavor from the inside.

The technique is unusual and brilliant. Most aglio e olio recipes coat the outside of the pasta with flavored oil, but cooking in seasoned water means the heat and garlic penetrate the noodles completely. The olive oil and parsley tossed in at the end add richness and freshness on the surface.

Fair warning: opening the blender after processing raw chili peppers and garlic will hit you with serious fumes. Point the lid away from your face.

Pro Tips

• Strain the blended mixture through a sieve into the boiling water. This removes the fibrous bits while letting all the flavor through.
• Nine cloves of garlic is not a typo. This is a bold pasta and it needs every one of them.
• Cook to al dente. Overcooked spaghetti in this dish turns mushy because it’s already absorbing extra liquid from the flavored water.
• Use your best olive oil for tossing. You’re tasting it raw and it’s the only fat in the dish.

Variations

• Add a squeeze of lemon juice when tossing to brighten the garlic and chili flavors.
• Toss in toasted breadcrumbs for crunch, a classic Southern Italian move.
• Use red pepper flakes if fresh chili peppers aren’t available, adding them directly to the boiling water.