Recipe: $4 Spaghetti That's Almost as Good as $24 Spaghetti

I was reading Food & Wine's August 2012 issue last weekend and came across the recipe on p.56 called '$4 Spaghetti That's Almost as Good as $24 Spaghetti.'  It's Lesson 8 in the article called Summer School:  Easy Chef Lessons.  It sounded intriguing. 

"'The $24 spaghetti from Scott Conant's Scarpetta in NYC is so delicious,' says Roy Choi of L.A.'s Kogi empire.  'My $4 version tastes almost as good.'  Roy's trick:  flavoring tomato sauce with a quick mushroom broth and slow-cooked garlic."

What does $24 spaghetti taste like?

The recipe was delicious, but not $24 per serving worth delicious.  Maybe $10 per serving.

A few tips:

• The recipe itself is really easy -- it just takes a lot of TIME. Make sure you have 2 and a half hours to hang around the house and cook. Or, if you make this during the weekday, prep the mushroom broth and garlic the day before.
• We used bucatini pasta instead of spaghetti.  I just love bucatini.  There's something about long, hollow pasta that is fun.
• We added meatballs (obviously from the photo) stuffed with mozzarella to add some protein to the dish.
• We were scared to use so much garlic.  We should've used all 4 heads and will do that next time.  We used about 3, and I couldn't taste much of the garlic.