red chilli flakes

Aglio e Olio. Translated into English, it means “spaghetti with garlic and oil.” Perhaps the most simple pasta ever known to man. While there are debates as the origins of this pasta dish, suffice to say it comes from Naples. Four ingredients are all you need: garlic, olive oil, spaghetti, and red chilli flakes. Finish off with a sprinkling of diced parsley if you desire. Due to its sheer simplicity, Aglio e olio makes a great base recipe for any home cooks repertoire.

Me being me though, I like to step things up a level with a veil of sophistication. I incorporated some anchovies into my recipe and cooked it gently on low heat simultaneously with the garlic in the olive oil and also grated some bottarga for the extra umami touch. Decadence.

One word of caution. While Aglio e olio is simple and can be inexpensive to make, you really need to let the flavours shine. Hence, don’t be a miser and dish out on the best quality pasta and olive oil you can afford. The artisan Martelli pasta is my brand of choice. Martelli is a family-run business located in Lari, a small medieval village near Pisa. They have been making pasta using old-style traditions since 1926.

Aglio e Olio with Bottarga

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Serves: 2 Prep Time: 10M Cooking Time: 20M 20M

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 2.5/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 6 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (or 2 peperoncino peppers, diced)
• 3 anchovies, diced
• 1/2 cup of quality extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of grated bottarga
• 4 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked al dente, about 10-12 minutes (read packet instructions or go by 'feel'). Drain and transfer to a pasta bowl.
2. Combine garlic, anchovies and olive oil in a cold skillet. Cook over medium heat to slowly toast garlic, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the peperoncino peppers or red chilli flakes. Cook and stir until garlic is golden brown, about another 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Stir the pasta in a bowl along with the salt, black pepper and parsley. Pour in the cooked garlic oil from other pan and toss with the parsley and bottarga.
4. Serve with extra grated parmesan (and bottarga) if desired.