1 pound dry spaghetti
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
6 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Slice the garlic cloves into thin slices.
Chop 1/4 cup of fresh pasley.
Add olive oil and sliced garlic to a cold saute pan. Turn the heat on to medium. Toast the garlic slowly. As soon as the oil starts to bubble, turn the heat down to medium-low. Stir frequently. Toast the garlic to a light golden brown. Turn off the heat. Slowly add 1/4 cup of the boiling pasta water. This will stop the garlic from browning any further.
While the garlic is toasting, cook the spaghetti. Once the spaghetti is cooked, remove it from the heat and drain it. Do not rinse the spaghetti.
Dump the spaghetti into a pasta serving bowl. Add black pepper, red pepper flakes and salt to taste.
Pour the olive oil and garlic over the pasta. Sprinkle about 2/3 cup of the parmesan cheese onto the spaghetti. Add the chopped parsley. Toss well.
Just before serving, sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup parmesan cheese onto the spaghetti.
It's not traditional, but for extra richness add one tablespoon of butter when you toss with the cheese.
I prefer a regular olive oil for this recipe, as opposed to a strongly flavored extra virgin olive oil.
I highly recommend using a good Parmigiano-Reggiano for the parmesan cheese.
Source: Food Wishes