Pici Keen Spring Garlic

Last night called for a special meal: It was my 31st wedding anniversary, and I was also down to the last of my spring garlic. My favorite way to use spring garlic, also called green garlic, is in a simple dish of pasta with olive oil. This lets the subtle green garlic flavor come through unhindered. Spring garlic is to garlic what scallions are to onions, a milder version of the other. I also used the tops, in a big batch of veggie broth.

I did add a couple of cloves of garlic for a little extra kick.

Sauté the garlic in a copious amount of olive oil. I also add a few red pepper flakes to punch it up.

For the pasta, I used my favorite, (after my home-made variety): Pici, from Siena, Italy (this via Eataly in Chicago). Pici is a thick hand-rolled spaghetti-like pasta, (think bucatini on steroids, only not hollow).

Pici is THICK, and takes a good 20 plus minutes to reach al dente. A minute before that, however, drain the pasta and add it to the garlic and olive oil. Reserve a cup of pasta water to add to the pasta, the secret ingredient to making a velvety smooth sauce.

Sprinkle on a little parm and enjoy.