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We thought that it would be difficult to find Thai basil, so we used Sweet Basil in our Drunken Thai Noodle dish. We ended up having to rename them Not Really Thai Thai Noodles. However, we have found Thai basil at the New York City Greenmarkets, putting us to shame. This is our answer, Not Really Italian- Italian Pasta with Thai Basil!

¼ cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, lightly crushed
1 Pasilla chile pepper, dry toasted and soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
1 handful of fresh Thai basil from the farmers market, thinly sliced
2 heaping tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
200 g of gemelli pasta (or fusilli)

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil with some salt.
In a small skillet heat the olive oil on medium-low heat along with the garlic. Let the garlic infuse the oil slowly for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain the chile pepper of its soaking liquid, and open up along the side lengthwise. Remove the seeds. Chop up about 1 heaping tablespoon worth of pepper, to be roughly the same size as red chile pepper flakes.
Add the chile peppers to the olive oil, and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes, being careful not to fry the chile peppers. Turn off the heat and remove the garlic.
Cook the pasta according the instructions on the package and drain, reserving about ¼ cup of the cooking water.
Transfer the pasta back to the pot with the reserved water, and pour in the chile oil. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and Thai basil.
Serves 2.