I love a good bowl of pasta (a.k.a. “macaroni” in our house) and could it pretty much everyday. While our family favorite is probably rigatoni with a a hearty, slow cooked, meat gravy, a close second is definitely Pasta Agli Olio. In fact, I have had a taste for Agli Olio ever since my post last week about Chef.
Ingredients
¼ cup(ish) olive oil
8-10 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
Red pepper flakes - make your own call on how much heat you like
Handful of chopped Italian Parsley
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 lemon
1 pound linguini, spaghetti or fettucini
A note about “macaroni.” Our family favorite is Ronzoni , which you can now buy through Amazon. For dinner last night, I used fresh linguini from Standard Market . It was meh; a little too thick for my taste.
Cooking Method
Start your pasta water - big pot, lots of salt, bring to a rapid boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, warm a medium/large saute pan (any pan with sides) on low heat. Add the oil, garlic and red pepper flakes and allow the mixture to cook in the pan on low throughout the rest of the cooking time. Stir occasionally.
Once the water begins to boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. We prefer our pasta al dente. Saute the pasta in the oil for a few minutes (3-4) until the pasta is completely coated in the oil. Remove the pan from the oven and add the Parmesan, parsley and the juice of one lemon. Mix well and serve!
Another note. Most of the time I make Agli Olio with just the oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. I added the parsley, cheese and lemon based on the recipe from the Chef movie. I don’t know that I would regularly add the Parm and to be honest, my ingredient list is slightly different in terms of quantities than the Chef movie recipe, but the addition of the lemon and parsley I’ll make sure to incorporate all of the time (as long as I have some in the house)! It is definitely a nice touch!
Enjoy!