Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
160 -200 g spaghetti
20 -25 ripe cherry tomatoes, washed and halved
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
10 -15 basil leaves
grated Parmigiano Reggiano
extra virgin olive oil
salt
red chili, roughly chopped (optional)
METHOD
1. Fill a large pot with water (about 100 ml per each 100 g spaghetti) and bring to the boil.
2. When it gets to a boil, add some coarse salt, then drop the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until more than al dente (it will finish cooking in the sauce).
3. While spaghetti is boiling, in a large non-stick sauté pan, heat three tablespoon olive oil with the garlic gloves (and chili if using) then add the halved tomatoes, a pinch of salt and sauté over a medium-high heat until start to soften and release their juices, but not longer than 5 to 6 minutes (they have to keep their shape).
4. Remove the garlic, taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water.
6. Add the spaghetti to the pan with the tomatoes and, keeping the heat medium-high, toss them with a little of the cooking water to create a creamy emulsion.
7. Add a little additional olive oil and stir. Remove from the heat, add the basil torn using hand, reserving some for garnishing, and mix.
8. Divide between the plates, add the grated parmigiano, garnish with the reserved basil and serve straightway.
How to prepare chili flavoured extra-virgin olive oil
Wash and pat dry some red chilies and leave them at room temperature until they are completely dry (you can skip this step using store bought dried chili or chili flakes, but I prefer to make from scratch).
In a clean, dry glass bottle - possibly dark, as olive oil is very sensitive to the light - add the dried chilies roughly chopped and all their seeds (use gloves or wash well your hands after touching the chili) then cover with extra virgin olive oil. Close and let rest for few weeks before using.
Note: The addition of chili is optional; in case one or more of your guests can't or won't eat chili (for example if you have young children like me), instead of adding chili in the pan you can use homemade chili flavoured extra-virgin olive oil.
As the flavour of chili may differ depending on the variety and the ripeness, I usually add just enough oil to cover chili; after few weeks I taste and add more oil if it is too hot (the flavour becomes more and more intense with time).
Then you can add more dried chili and/or more oil afterwards depending on the flavour and the consumption.