Midnight Pasta
There's a particular hunger that arrives late at night—not the polite, dinnertime hunger that can wait for proper courses, but something more urgent and honest. It's the kind that sends you padding to the kitchen in your slippers, turning on a single light, rummaging through the pantry for something that can be made now, quickly, with minimum fuss.
This pasta, known in Italy as aglio e olio, is the answer to that hunger. It's impossibly simple: just garlic, chilli, olive oil, and pasta. No sauce to speak of, really—just the starchy pasta water emulsified with good oil until it becomes silky and coating. And yet, when you're standing at the stove at midnight, tossing spaghetti in a pan while garlic sizzles and the kitchen smells like a Roman trattoria, it feels like alchemy.
The Italians have been making this for centuries, usually after a late night out, always in solitude, never with ceremony. It's humble food that somehow tastes extravagant, the kind of dish that makes you understand why people write poetry about pasta. Make it when you're alone, hungry, and the rest of the house is sleeping. This one's just for you.
Ingredients
- 100g spaghetti
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (or to taste)
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Small handful fresh parsley, chopped
- Parmesan cheese, grated (to serve)
- Salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and chilli flakes.
- Cook the garlic gently, swirling the pan occasionally, until it just begins to turn golden and fragrant—about 2-3 minutes. Watch it carefully; burnt garlic is bitter and there's no coming back from it.
- When the pasta is ready, transfer it directly to the pan with the garlic oil using tongs (it's fine if some water comes with it).
- Toss the pasta in the oil over low heat, adding splashes of reserved pasta water as needed to create a glossy, emulsified sauce that clings to each strand.
- Remove from heat, toss through the chopped parsley, and taste for seasoning. Add more salt if needed, though the pasta water should have provided enough.
- Serve immediately in a warm bowl, topped with a generous grating of Parmesan and perhaps one more drizzle of good olive oil. Eat slowly, savouring the quiet.
Nutrition Information
Per serving
You Might Also Enjoy
