Spaghetti all'aglio, olio e peperoncino

• Salt
• 80g Spaghetti

Heavily salt a pan of water, and bring to a rolling boil. Add the spaghetti, using a ladle to push it underwater if it is too long to fit in the pan. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, or slightly shorter for a more al-dente texture (get to know your pasta---some brands overestimate the cooking time on the packet, and others do not).

• 3 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Small Chilli

While the pasta is cooking, gently crush the garlic with a knife, and remove the skin. Then finely dice the garlic and chilli together (~3mm chunks).

Adjust the amount of garlic and chilli to your taste.

• 20ml Good Olive Oil

Pour the olive oil into a pan, and gently fry the chilli and garlic. They should be fragrant. If the garlic develops an acrid smell, and bitter taste, then the oil is too hot. Simply throw away the garlic and start again---garlic is cheap.

• Pecorino Romano Cheese

When the pasta is ready, sieve off the water and pour the oil, chilli and garlic over the pasta. Mix well, and finely grate some Pecorino cheese over the pasta while it is still warm, so the cheese melts slightly, and serve.