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Garlicky spaghetti with lemon, capers & almonds

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The silky, flavorful base to this pasta makes it a garlicky blank slate for all kinds of endless variations. This is our slightly-adapted variant to use up what we had in the pantry; see the Notes below for the original recipe, plus a few more variations, as printed in Cook’s Science, by the Editors of Cook’s Illustrated and Guy Crosby. In testing, they noted minced garlic was best for its ability to toast evenly, and that a bit of raw garlic, added in addition to the gently-toasted bits, added some fresh garlicky zing; the amount of water to use, 2 quarts, is also crucial in creating the right amount of starchiness in the pasta water to help the sauce cling to the spaghetti without being oily.

Ingredients

Scale
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon minced garlic, divided
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice
  • 3 tablespoons capers, minced (see Notes)
  • 1 ounce Parmesan, grated (½ cup), plus extra for serving
  • ½ cup toasted almonds (see Notes)
  • ½ cup fresh parsley, for serving (optional; see Notes)

Instructions

  1. Combine oil and 2 tablespoons minced garlic in an 8-inch non-stick skillet. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is pale golden brown, 9 to 12 minutes. (For me, this took the full 12 minutes — the garlic began to sizzle gently at around 4 minutes or so, and took about 8 minutes at a gentle sizzle to turn golden.) Off the heat, stir in the pepper flakes and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add the spaghetti and 2 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. (The pasta should still have quite a bit of bite; it will continue to cook in the sauce, so I prefer to take it off the heat when it’s several minutes less cooked than I want.)
  3. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon garlic, lemon zest and juice, reserved garlic-oil mixture, and reserved 1 cup of pasta water to the pasta in the pot. Stir until pasta is well-coated with oil and no water remains in the bottom of the pot. (*Note:* I did this over medium heat.)
  4. Add the minced capers, grated Parmesan, and almonds, and toss to combine. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve, with extra Parmesan on the side and fresh parsley, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

The original recipe does not add capers, parsley, or almonds, but uses 1 cup chopped fresh basil and pine nuts instead, added in the same step (with the Parmesan).

Another delectable-sounding variation in the book omits the lemon zest, basil, and pine nuts, reduces the lemon juice to 1 tablespoon, then calls for 3 tablespoons capers, minced, 3 tablespoons currants, minced, and 2 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted, dry, and minced, to be mixed into the pasta with the lemon juice.

Finally, for still another play on this pasta, omit the lemon zest, basil, and pine nuts, and reduce the lemon juice to 1 tablespoon. Stir 1 ½ teaspoons fennel seeds, coarsely ground, into the garlic-oil mixture with the red pepper flakes. Stir one 14-ounce can of artichoke hearts, chopped, into the pasta with the lemon juice. Add ½ cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and chopped, into the pasta with the Parmesan, instead of the pine nuts.

Find it online: https://tworedbowls.com/2016/10/19/garlicky-spaghetti/