1.   Ask chefs around the country about their worst nightmares in the kitchen and the war stories pour out faster than pasta water.

2.   Boiling the partly cooked orecchiette with the seasonings and pasta water infuses the pasta with flavor and creates a silken sauce.

3.   Add a little more olive oil or some of the pasta water if the mixture seems dry.

4.   Add a little pasta water if thinner sauce is desired.

5.   Add a little reserved pasta water if it gets too thick.

6.   Add the garlic-olive oil mixture and the reserved pasta water.

7.   Add a half cup or so of the pasta cooking water to the sauce and continue cooking.

8.   Add reserved pasta water to bowl with pesto.

9.   Add reserved pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time, and toss until noodles have a silky coating.

10.   Add salt and pepper to taste, along with just enough pasta water to keep the mixture moist but not soupy.