Spaghetti with Olio Nuovo

Here’s the recipe from my book The New American Olive Oil for Spaghetti with Olio Nuovo, the simple Italian dish that celebrates the new oil of the year.

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound dried spaghetti, preferably Italian
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) olio nuovo, divided
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
¼ teaspoon dried red chile flakes
fleur de sel

Instructions:

Bring about 5 quarts of generously salted water to boil in a large pot. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 12 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small pot over medium heat until it trembles, becomes aromatic, and easily coats the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the red chile flakes and turn off the heat.

Drain the pasta. Add the oil with the garlic and pepper, the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil, and a sprinkling of fleur de sel. Toss until all the strands of pasta glisten.

Serve in hot bowls.