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Calabrian Chili Butter Pasta

  • 12 hours ago
  • 2 min read

Calabrian chili butter, sweet roasted garlic, fresh lemon zest, and enough Parmigiano Reggiano to make my nonna proud. Easy to make, restaurant-quality, and delicious.



CALABRIAN CHILI BUTTER PASTA WITH ROASTED GARLIC, PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO & LEMON ZEST

Recipe by Mark Calaminici | Food Loves Company

Serves 4


Ingredients

1 bulb of garlic, top sliced off to just reveal all cloves

Salt, to taste

Freshly craked pepper, to taste

Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp (small drizzle)

Tomato paste, 1 tbsp

40-50g Calabrian chilis, stems removed and seeds removed (if you can) roughly chopped

150g unsalted butter

400g pasta, reserve pasta water

Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, to taste

Zest of 1 lemon



Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 


2. Peel and discard the papery outer layers of the garlic bulb. Slice the top half of the garlic head off. You want to see the cloves exposed. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper over the cloves. Cover garlic head tightly in foil and place on a sheet pan and place in oven for around 60 minutes or until cloves are golden and aromatic.


  1. In a food processor, add butter, Calabrian chilis, roasted garlic and season with salt. Pulse until well combined. Remove and place in a bowl or form a log with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to harden. Do not miss this step as it helps the butter emusify into the pasta.


  1. In a pan on low-medium-high heat, add a drizzle of Extra virgin olive oil, just a little bit. Add tomate paste and let toast a bit before mixing into the oil.


  1. Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water just before al dente, as we will finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. Reserve pasta water.


  1. Once the pasta is ready, add pasta to the pan with a ladle of pasta water. Add the butter and continue to cook the pasta in the pan, stirring and tossing, adding more pasta water if needed. Turn off the heat or remove the pan from the heat and add Parmigiano-Reggiano a handful at a time and mix and toss to incorporate into the pasta. You can add more pasta water if you want a bit of a looser sauce. Finish with the lemon zest, mixing it through and plate it up and garnish with some sauce, more cheese and more zest.



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