Spaghetti with garlic and oil (aglio e olio)


This is a wonderfully versatile side dish. Decrease the quantity of garlic to complement mild-flavored main courses. Increase it to accompany strongly savory dishes.

Cook 1 pound of spaghetti according to the package directions. While that is cooking,

Sautee 5 minced garlic cloves in 1/2 cup olive oil,  in a large skillet. Don't over-cook the garlic, for that produces a bitter flavor. You want the garlic just beginning to turn golden.

When the garlic is done, halt the sauteeing by taking the pan from the heat and adding 1/4 cup water. 

 Stir into the skillet:

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 teaspoon salt

Add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet and toss to combine the ingredients. Adjust the seasoning. Serve the seasoned spaghetti alongside the entree of your choice.

Some cooks liven up the presentation with some diced tomato sprinkled atop the spaghetti, or with sun-dried tomato pieces rehydrated in dry white wine, but those additions are, to my mind, only gilding the lily. A side dish ought not call attention to itself except by its excellence as an accompaniment, and this dish already has that.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Charcuterie board

Image
A really good charcuterie board contains multiple interesting flavor combinations. It invites your guests to find their favorite mix and match flavor ensembles. One of the essential skills of chaphood is the ability to throw together a cold platter. It is a fine way to escape having to cook and still put on a feed for guests. A good charcuterie board begins with good meat, not the cheap stuff. Use several kinds. Do not be afraid of unconventional choices such as braised beef or Chinese roast pork. There seems little reason not to include a few strips of crispy bacon. Nearly everyone likes bacon and it is quickly and easily prepared using the microwave . Italy appears to have made cold meats a national priority. There are a couple dozen varieties of salami, there are cured meats such prosciutto, and lots and lots of other types. I consider a stop at the Italian market essential in setting up a cold dinner. While I am there I get some olives too, to serve on the s...
Read more

Are we in a wine bubble market?

I lately reviewed a rather good wine that would get my vote at twenty dollars. But its liquor store price is thirty-five dollars a bottle and its restaurant price above a hundred. I do not pay for the wines I review. That is an inescapable fact of the industry. Things work that way for a reason. The purpose is to prevent a riot in which people chase each other down the street, reporters demanding their money back from wine sellers, followed by editors hounding reporters about expense accounts, followed by publishers and accountants shouting about the bottom line, and advertising men whining about everyone spoiling their "campaigns." Perhaps one wine in four gets my mention, which is what I do instead of reviewing three wines negatively. I owe good language to the vintners and distributors who have avoided riots by pulling the cork gratis. I hope to offer a good turn, in return, as they say. Let me tell you a story. In the nineteen-nineties, Carribean cigars w...
Read more