Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino my way

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 350 g spaghetti, or spaghettini, the best you can get
• 10 tbsp olive oil, best quality
• 4 garlic cloves, preferably fresh, finely chopped
• 150 g Parmesan, real, in one piece, small slices
• 1 Peperoncini, red, fresh, no pepper
• 2 sprigs rosemary, very finely chopped
• 8 tomatoes, dried, finely diced
• 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 bunch parsley, flat, finely chopped
• salt and pepper
• 4 peperoncini, for decoration
• 4 slices of ciabatta

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and chili pepper my way

Gently sauté the garlic in olive oil (don’t be too sparing) in a deep pan until translucent. After a few seconds, add the rosemary and sun-dried tomatoes and sauté gently until soft, if possible with a lid on. These two ingredients aren’t part of the classic recipe, but they add even more flavor. After about 5 minutes, add the halved, deseeded chili pepper, leaving the inside on the bottom of the pan. If you’re feeling daring, test the heat by running your fingertip over the inside and then licking it. This is the only way to roughly determine the spiciness of the dish. I usually fish the two halves out after about 1 minute, after they’ve been constantly submerged in the oil. Now add the cherry tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, mix well, and continue sautéing with the lid on for a few more minutes. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti for about 20 seconds less than the package tells you to. Just before it’s finished cooking, add the parsley to the oil mixture and toss well. Now add the spaghetti directly to the sauce using a pasta server, ensuring some of the cooking water is included. Toss the spaghetti several times in the pan until the sauce is completely coated. Serve on plates and top with shaved Parmesan cheese. If desired, serve an additional chili pepper on each plate as a garnish. As always, the quantities are based on one course. If you don’t want anything else, increase the quantities by about 1/3. Serve with ciabatta to soak up any excess sauce. The quality of the ingredients is paramount.