Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • About ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 6 to 8 anchovy filets
  • 1 chili
  • such as Fresno or Italian red cherry pepper
  • seeded and finely chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • finely chopped
  • Splash of dry vermouth
  • Salt
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • ½ cup flat-leaf parsley
  • chopped

Instruction

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta
  • Heat EVOO, 4 turns of the pan, over medium heat
  • Add anchovies and cover pan with splatter screen or lid
  • Shake until anchovies begin to break up, reduce heat a bit, then uncover and stir until anchovies melt into oil
  • Add chilies and garlic, stir a couple of minutes more
  • Douse with a bit of vermouth and reduce heat to low
  • When water is boiling, salt water and cook pasta to al dente
  • Reserve a cup of starchy water before draining the pasta and add to garlic and oil sauce along with the parsley
  • Drain pasta and toss to combine
  • Turn an additional minute in the sauce for the pasta to absorb the flavors
  • Puttanesca: To turn this sauce into a Puttanesca, add 2 pints cherry tomatoes to the Aglio e Olio sauce, cover and cook over medium-high heat to burst tomatoes, 7-8 minutes
  • Gently mash them up with a wooden spoon and stir in a handful of pitted oil-cured black olives and a few tablespoons of chopped capers
  • Add the parsley and toss with starchy cooking water and penne pasta
  • White Clam Sauce: For a white clam sauce, add 2 tablespoons chopped thyme and 2 pounds of manila clams to Aglio e Olio sauce
  • Cover to open clams, add 3 tablespoons butter and the juice of 1 lemon
  • Stir in parsley and starchy cooking water and toss with linguine