Fabio-Style Creamy Peperoncino

Bring the pasta water to a boil and add salt at 1.3% of the water. Since the pasta water goes into the sauce, 1.5% would make it too salty. Think of seasoning the noodles through completely; do not adjust with salt later.

Halve a large clove of garlic, peel it, and remove the core. Crush it with the flat side of a knife.

Put the crushed garlic, the small deseeded chili peppers, and extra virgin olive oil with little bitterness or pungency into a frying pan. Use only enough chili for a light accent.

To draw out the garlic's sweetness, heat it extremely slowly in the oil. Once it starts to bubble, turn the heat to very low and keep the garlic fully submerged in the oil. Cook for about 8 minutes without letting it color, as if making a confit. Garlic that is still white has not cooked through; look for it turning translucent.

Add 60g of 2.2mm bronze-die spaghetti to the boiling water and start cooking. The package says 12 minutes, but drain at 11 minutes 15 seconds since it will absorb more in the sauce.

Once the garlic is soft, break it apart along its fibers rather than mashing it. All of the smoky aroma and soft sweetness comes out into the oil. A little color is fine.

Add about half of the pasta water and bring it to a boil once. Aim for a ratio of about 1 part oil to 3 parts liquid, then reduce at the end to tune it to just the right creamy consistency.

Blend the sauce to fully combine the olive oil and water into a base with the thickness of a dressing.

Always taste the base, and once you confirm the sweetness and aroma have come through, add the sweetfish fish sauce for umami.

Chop about 4g of Italian parsley. Japanese Italian parsley has tender stems, so you can chop it stems and all.

Add the drained pasta to the pan with the sauce and combine for about 40 seconds, as if simmering it. Since the base is already made, there is no need to stir vigorously.

Turn the heat to high, listen to the sound, and make the final adjustment to the consistency while watching the surface. When it boils and the surface starts to dry out, take it off the heat and shake and toss the pan to emulsify. Finally, add plenty of Italian parsley and toss to coat, finishing with a silky sauce. Plate it and sprinkle with ichimi togarashi to taste.