Spaghetti aglio e olio

Spaghetti tossed in an olive oil and garlic sauce topped with grated parmesan cheese,  fresh parsley and lemon zest.  Simple, rustic and completely delicious!

I was born in Brooklyn and lived there up until I was around 12 years old

We were in a very Italian neighborhood but like most families we were of mixed heritage.  My father was Sicilian and my mom is Irish

Typically in these situations the Italian side of the family taught their recipes to the Irish as was the case in my family with my father’s mother (Grandma Poggio) teaching my mom

One of our favorite dishes passed down was pasta in garlic oil which when you lived in Brooklyn was pronounced “aye ya yoy ya”

As in “Hey Ma?  Is the aye ya yoy ya ready yet?”

It wasn’t until years later while watching an Italian cooking show that the chef was making this dish and pronounced it all wrong.  He called it aglio e olio, I mean, was he kidding me??  Well… it turns out he was correct

So what is aglio e olio?

Aglio e olio (phonetically pronounced AH-lloe-OH-lee-o) is a rustic pasta dish from Naples in which garlic is lightly sauteed in olive oil and pasta water is then added in to make a sauce.  So it is literally spaghetti with garlic and oil

To get started we will need 1 pound of dry spaghetti and 1 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt

Add the salt to a pasta pot and top off with cold water

Cover and bring to a rapid boil over medium high heat

Once at a boil add in the pasta and leave uncovered

Though the directions for this particular brand of pasta call for 10 minutes of cooking for “al dente’ pasta we are going to cook the pasta for 8-9 minutes since it will cook a bit more in the garlic sauce

Before draining reserve at least 2 cups of pasta water

Why reserve the pasta water?

As the pasta cooks it releases starch into the water which can then be used as a thickener for sauces.  It also helps the sauce adhere back to the pasta so you don’t miss out on any flavor

Drizzle the pasta with some olive oil to prevent clumping and set aside

Now let’s start on the sauce

We will need 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 4 cloves of garlic thinly sliced and 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

Place all of these ingredients into a cold pan then place it over low heat and let it warm up slowly

The idea here is to slow cook the garlic allowing its flavor to permeate the oil without any chance of the garlic burning

Burnt garlic is bitter so take your time

Once the garlic starts cooking continue for 10-12 minutes stirring occasionally

You want the garlic to be soft and lightly browned

Carefully add in 2 cups of the reserved pasta water to the oil and garlic

Bring to a boil then reduce and simmer for 5-6 minutes

Add the reserved pasta to the sauce and stir around to coat

Next we will need 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley, the zest of one lemon and about 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

We are breaking tradition with the lemon zest but it adds a lovely bright pop to the dish

Add the cheese to the pasta

Sprinkle with the parsley, lemon zest and pepper and stir to combine

Allow to cook another 2-3 minutes

Remove from the heat and allow the pasta to rest for a few minutes to absorb some of the sauce

Taste and re-season as needed

Serve up a bowl of this delicious pasta with some extra cheese and they will come back for more!

We love it when our readers make and share our recipes!

Post a pic on your social media and tag us @ #simplysundayshomecooking

Enjoy!!!

Tools used to make this recipe

Anchor Hocking 8 Cup Measuring Cup Glass Batter Bowl with Spout

Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood

Mini Prep Glass Bowl

NuWave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop

Royal Classique 10 Piece Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set with Silicone Handles

Cooks Standard Multi-Ply Clad Stainless Steel Tagine and Extra Glass Lid, 4.5-Quart

ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch

Cook N Home, Stainless Steel 4-Piece 8 Quart Pasta Cooker Steamer Multipots

© Simply Sundays 2020
All rights reserved