Aglio e olio

Aglio e olio

This is a very simple pasta but very delicious. If you don’t have a lot of time to make dinner, this is perfect. Serve with a simple salad and a baguette, you have a nice dinner in no time.

½ lb spaghetti or linguine
1/3 cup good extra virgin olive oil
6-8 cloves garlic minced
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp hot pepper flakes
Handful of Italian parsley (flat leaf parsley) chopped
Freshly ground pepper

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta reserving a bit of the pasta water. If the pasta is too dry, you can add a bit of the pasta water at the end. Try to time the olio and the pasta to be done at the same time.

In a small sauce pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, salt, and hot pepper flakes and stir. Turn the heat to low and gently cook the garlic until golden but make sure you do not let the garlic get too dark. Garlic burns very easily and tastes bitter if over cooked. Cook for about 8-10 minutes for the flavors to blend.

Toss the pasta and olio adding some of the reserved pasta water if the pasta is too dry. Add the parsley and pepper to taste.