Pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil

I contemplated whether or not to post this recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I have to say going into making it; I was pretty excited. I love garlic, olive oil, and pasta. I mean it has to taste divine, right? Well, I don't know. It was decent, but I wasn't crazy about it. I'm wondering if it's because I didn't quite follow the recipe to the "T." Or, is it because I don't have the best tasting olive oil? I'm thinking it's a little of both. Part of the problem was my pasta took forever to cook. Maybe a case of watching water boil instead of walking away and coming back later? I think because it was taking too long to boil; the sauce dried up a bit. Plus, I didn't transfer the pasta to a warm bowl and then add the remaining ingredients. Instead I added the remaining ingredients directly to the skillet, and added the pasta to it as well. I think that maybe why it dried up so much. Anyway, give it a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy.

 

Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
Salt
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
12 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp lemon juice
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)

First, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and 1 tbsp of salt. Stir often. Cook until al dente and then reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Drain pasta. Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp olive oil, two-thirds of garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large non-stick skillet over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until garlic foams and is sticky and straw-colored, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the remaining garlic, pepper flakes, parsley, lemon juice, and 2 tbsp reserved cooking water. Transfer the drained pasta to a warm serving bowl. Then, add the garlic mixture, remaining 3 tbsp oil, and remaining reserved cooking water to pasta. Toss to combine. Season with salt to taste and sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve immediately.