Copper Dragon Pasta

Ingredients

• thin spaghetti
• sun-dried tomatoes
• fresh chopped garlic
• olive oil
• vinegar
• butter
• sweet basil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Collect the above ingredients, plus two pots and one saucepan. The saucepan and one pot should each be big enough to accommodate all the pasta. The second pot can by very small, even tiny.
2. Make a "spice plate" by placing the chopped garlic (6 cloves), basil (1 teaspoon), salt (a touch), and pepper (1/2 teaspoon) onto a small plate. Keep all these things separate for now, in little piles on the plate. This should look like a painter's palette when you've got it right.
3. Measure 1/3 cup olive oil and 2 tbsp vinegar. Combine in a small cup.
4. Bring water to a boil in both pots.
5. Place the pasta in the big pot, and the sun-dried tomatoes (6 of them) in the small pot. Start your timer!
6. When the timer reads 3 minutes, remove the small pot and use a collander to separate the sun-dried tomatoes from the hot water. Quickly chop the sun-dried tomatoes into strips. Place the chopped sun-dried tomatoes on the spice plate.
7. Heat up the saucepan. Add a bit of butter, then add the garlic. Roast the garlic until lightly browned and fully aromatic. Then remove from heat. Add the remaining contents of the spice plate. Mix these ingredients together on the surface of thte warm pan. Allow the pan to cool a bit. Then carefully pour the oil & vinegar mixture into the saucepan. Be careful not to add the oil & vinegar when the saucepan is too hot, as the oil will boil and splash on you! Don't wait until the saucepan is too cool, however, as the spices distribute the flavors more fully if the oil and vinegar are hot. If your timing is right, the oil and vinegar will bubble and sizzle when added, and will also release a nice aroma into your kitchen.
8. When the same timer reads 8 minutes, remove the thin spaghetti and strain using the collander. Then pour the spaghetti into the saucepan. Use two wooden spoons, or other suitable "tossing utensils", to mix the thin spaghetti with the sauce.
9. Your Copper Dragon Pasta is ready to serve! This dish takes roughly 20 minutes to prepare and can be done solo, although it's more fun to have two cooks working together. For best effect, serve with subdued lighting, classical music, and place the steaming saucepan on a pot holder on the table. Enjoy!