Spaghettini with Mushrooms, Garlic, and Oil

By á-3145

Food and Wine

We've added sautéed mushrooms to the classic—and very simple—spaghetti with garlic and oil, but the dish can still be made in no time at all. Regular white mushrooms are excellent here; portobellos or wild mushrooms would be great, too.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes (optional)
• 2/3 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound spaghettini
• 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Step 1
In a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the garlic and the red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic softens, about 1 minute. Add the sliced mushrooms and the salt and cook until the mushrooms exude liquid, the liquid evaporates, and the mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minutes.

Step 2
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghettini until just done, about 9 minutes. Drain and toss with the mushroom mixture, the parsley, and the pepper.

Variations

Spaghettini with Garlic and Oil Eliminate the mushrooms and reduce the oil to 7 tablespoons. Just cook the garlic and red-pepper flakes for a minute and toss with the remaining ingredients.

Spaghettini with Walnuts, Garlic, and Oil Eliminate the mushrooms and reduce the olive oil to 7 tablespoons. At the end, toss in 2/3 cup of toasted and chopped walnuts.

Spaghettini with Salami, Garlic, and Oil Eliminate the mushrooms and reduce the olive oil to 7 tablespoons. Cut 1/4 pound of sliced salami into thin strips and toss it into the spaghettini with the parsley and black pepper.