Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino

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This classic spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino recipe is the ultimate fast food – in the time it takes to cook the pasta you can have the sauce cooked and ready for the table. In his version, Antonio adds anchovy fillets which he finely chops and dissolves in olive oil. For a delicious twist, try adding red prawns and chopped parsley.

First published in 2016

This is the best-known gastronomical fast food, which can be enjoyed at any time of the day, even as a midnight feast when you feel peckish. You can add an anchovy flavour if you like, using either anchovy fillets in oil or a salted anchovy sauce sold as colatura (and probably very similar to the Ancient Roman fish sauce, garum). Considered to be an aphrodisiac, this dish is known all over Italy.

Recipes taken from Pasta by Antonio Carluccio (Quadrille £9.99) Photography: Laura Edwards

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino

  • 450g of spaghetti
  • 60ml of olive oil
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 red chilli, chopped
  • 4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped or 1 tsp colatura
  • salt

Method

1
Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 5–6 minutes or until al dente
2
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the garlic and chilli gently, without letting them brown. At this point you could add the anchovies and let them dissolve in the oil, or add the colatura. This sauce doesn’t take more than 5 minutes to prepare
3
Lift the cooked pasta from the water, using pasta tongs, and mix directly into the sauce. I wouldn’t choose to add cheese here, but you can, only if you really insist

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