Ciriole alla Ternana con Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino

Ingredients

• For the ciriole
• 400 g tipo 00 flour
• 200 ml water, lukewarm
• For the sauce
• 120 ml Umbrian DOP extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2–3 dried Umbrian peperoncino, whole, crumbled
• 100 ml pasta cooking water, reserved, starchy
• To finish
• 1 garlic clove, raw, microplane-grated
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, coarsely torn

Method

1. 1
   Combine the flour and lukewarm water on a work surface. Mix until a shaggy mass forms, then knead firmly for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, firm and no longer sticky. Wrap tightly and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The surface should feel supple and spring back slowly when pressed.
2. 2
   Tear off walnut-sized pieces of dough. Roll each piece by hand under the palm into an irregular cylinder of varying diameter — roughly 5–7 mm at its widest — and set aside on a lightly floured surface. The variation in thickness is intentional; uniformity is not the goal. The strands should appear rustic and uneven to sight.
3. 3
   Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a full boil. Lower the ciriole in. Cook until they are just short of done — the exterior yields but the centre still carries a slight resistance when bitten. Reserve 100 ml of the starchy cooking water before draining.
4. 4
   Place the sliced garlic and crumbled peperoncino in a wide, cold pan. Pour the olive oil over them. Set over a medium-low flame and heat together from cold. This is where the dish lives or dies: the garlic must reach a steady, even blonde-gold — pale amber at the edges, fragrant and sweet — without crossing into brown. Brown garlic is bitter and will ruin the entire dish. The oil will smell deeply of garlic and chilli; the sizzle will be gentle and even throughout.
5. 5
   Add the reserved pasta cooking water to the pan before the ciriole enter. Stir briskly over the heat; the starch emulsifies with the oil to form a loose, cohesive sauce. The liquid should look slightly opaque and milky rather than oily and separate.
6. 6
   Add the drained ciriole to the pan. Toss continuously over high heat for 90 seconds. The pasta finishes cooking in the sauce during this toss; the strands should be coated evenly with no oil pooling at the base of the pan.
7. 7
   Remove from the heat. Grate a single raw garlic clove directly over the pan with a microplane. Scatter the coarsely torn flat-leaf parsley over the top. No cheese is added. Serve immediately on warmed plates; the oil emulsion will begin to separate as the dish cools.