Aglio e Olio

Serves 4

I SPEND MOST OF MY DAYS working from home, my laptop set up on our kitchen table, and when lunchtime rolls around, I usually do a leftovers dive in the refrigerator. But on the days that I’m willing to put in a bit more effort, this is what I’ll make for myself. I always have these ingredients on hand, and strands of oil-slicked spaghetti punctuated by paper-thin slivers of garlic, red pepper flakes, and parsley are both quick to make and comforting to eat.

Note: This spaghetti is also very good late at night if you’ve maybe had a bit too much to drink and you want a little ballast in your stomach before you head to bed. You could even top it with a fried egg.

⅔ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Kosher salt

6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced paper-thin

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

12 ounces spaghetti

½ cup parsley leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the bread crumbs and stir to coat with oil. Toast the bread crumbs, stirring, until dark golden brown and very crunchy, about 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and season with salt. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. In the same large frying pan, combine the remaining ⅔ cup olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until the garlic begins to sizzle and turns a very pale golden color (do not let it brown, or it will become acrid). Remove from the heat.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Return the frying pan with the oil-and-garlic mixture to medium heat and add ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water. Bring to a boil, swirling the pan so the water and oil emulsify. Add the spaghetti and use tongs to toss the pasta with the oil and garlic so each strand of spaghetti is coated, adding more pasta cooking water if necessary. Add the parsley and bread crumbs and toss to mix, then season with black pepper and additional salt and serve.