Good Garlic Spaghetti

Recipe

Makes 2 servings.

Stuff you need: large skillet, large pot, vegetable peeler.

Ingredients

• 6 oz or 2 servings of spaghetti

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 20 cloves peeled garlic

• 20 medium sized shrimp, thawed

• 1 whole lemon

• 1/2 tsp chili flakes

• 6 Tbsp unsalted, good quality butter

Prep

1. Thinly slice 10 cloves of garlic and place in a large skillet (off heat). Mince the remaining garlic and set aside.

2. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the lemon rind off into long strips. Slice the lemon peels into wispy thin, vertical strips. Bunch them together and finely chop into a fine mince. Set minced lemon peel aside. Juice the lemon and set lemon juice aside.

3. Set a large pot of water to boil. Heavily salt the water. This is for cooking the spaghetti.

Cook

1. Add the olive oil to the skillet of garlic and set the skillet over medium heat. Constantly stir the garlic around and tilt the skillet to allow the oil to pool around the garlic, preventing the slices from sticking to one and other. Have a small bowl ready to transfer the garlic chips once they are light golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the garlic out and strain excess oil back into the skillet.

2. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp. Use a spatula to quickly move the shrimp around in the garlic oil as they cook evenly to a light pink, for about 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp immediately into a separate small bowl. Transfer any excess shrimp liquids into the skillet.

3. Reduce the skillet of oil to low and add the minced garlic, minced lemon peel, chili flakes, and lemon juice. Slowly simmer the garlic for at least 15 minutes and use this time to cook your pasta to one minute under al dente in the separate pot of boiling water.

4. Strain the pasta into a colander over a measuring glass or medium bowl to catch pasta water. Add 1/2 cup of pasta water to the garlic skillet and increase the heat to high. Stir vigorously as the sauce reduces. Continue to add 1/2 cups of pasta water each time the sauce evaporates, until you’ve added 2 cups in total. Finally, add the butter and stir into the sauce, emulsifying it by constantly stirring.

5. Reduce the heat to low and add the cooked spaghetti into the sauce along with a small splash (1/4 cup) of pasta water. Add the shrimp back to the skillet, and toss together with the pasta until everything is fully coated in the sauce.

6. Plate pasta and sprinkle with the garlic chips before serving.