A delicious dinner doesn’t have to be complicated

Serves 4.

From “Padella: Iconic Pasta at Home,” by Tim Siadatan, who writes: I have this when the fridge is empty and I’m in a rush, as it’s super-easy to put together and packs a punch. High-quality olive oil is a must for this dish. If you fancy zhuzhing it up, add some crushed red pepper flakes and/or anchovies. (Bloomsbury, 2025)

Directions

For the pasta, in a large cooking pot, bring 4 to 5 quarts of water to a boil and add a fistful of salt.

Drop the spaghetti into a boiling water and follow the package directions for timing but take 2 minutes off the recommended cooking time.

At the same time, heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a pan large enough to hold the sauce and cooked pasta. Add the garlic, capers, pepper and a pinch of salt and fry over a medium heat until the garlic starts to turn golden, stirring frequently to ensure the mixture doesn’t catch and burn.

Take the pan off the heat and add a splash (about 2 tablespoons) of water to stop the cooking process. (Be careful when adding water to a pan containing hot oil, as it can spit; best to take the pan off the heat first.)

Transfer the pasta to the garlic and caper pan and add the chopped parsley and ½ cup of pasta water. Stir continuously over a medium heat for a minute — the liquid in the sauce will reduce as you stir (the pasta will also continue to cook). You might need to add small splashes of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce, but remember to keep stirring until you hit the right consistency — you want the pasta to be loose and for the strands to slide freely over each other as you move them around the pan.