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1
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it aggressively — it should taste of the sea. Add the spaghetti and cook until slightly underdone, roughly two minutes short of the packet's stated time. Reserve at least 250 ml of the starchy cooking water before draining. The water should appear visibly cloudy with starch — this is the emulsification agent the dish depends on.
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2
Place garlic slices and peperoncino together in the cold extra-virgin olive oil in a wide pan, then set over gentle heat. Starting from cold gives precise control over the cooking rate. Watch without distraction: the garlic must reach pale gold, releasing its sweetness into the oil. Too little heat and the garlic remains raw and harsh; too much and it turns bitter and acrid, ruining the dish irretrievably — if it darkens beyond pale gold, discard everything and begin again. The colour is pale straw at the edges, fragrant and sweet-smelling, never brown.
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3
Transfer the slightly underdone spaghetti directly to the pan using tongs, carrying with it a generous quantity of the starchy cooking water — begin with 120 ml and add more as needed. The pan should hiss on contact. Toss and stir vigorously over heat, working the pasta continuously so that the water and oil emulsify into a creamy, glossy coating that clings to every strand. The sauce must be creamy, not oily; the liquid in the pan should appear opaque and unified rather than pooled as separate oil. Add the finely chopped parsley at this stage and toss through.
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4
Remove from heat. Add a splash of raw extra-virgin olive oil for fragrance and toss once more. The pasta should be fully al dente — it has finished cooking in the emulsion. Divide immediately into warmed bowls. The dish cannot wait: serve the moment it is plated. No cheese is added at any stage.