Chili-Garlic Paste
It's easier to buy the chili-garlic paste but sometimes you want it from scratch for your pasta or you run out.
Ingredients
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, 3 peeled and 1 minced
6 small dried chili peppers or 1 teaspoon chili flakes
Directions
1. Heat 1/3 cup of the olive oil in a small skillet over a medium flame. Add the peeled garlic and chili; cook 2 minutes, or until the garlic is golden and the chili peppers are swollen (or the chili flakes are aromatic). Cool the garlic and chili 5 minutes, then crush in a mortar with a pestle into a coarse paste.
2. Add the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil to the skillet over medium heat and cook the minced garlic until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Stir in the prepared garlic-chili paste and cook 30 seconds.