Pasta Aglio e Olio

"A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat." - Old New York Yiddish Saying

"Any dish can be improved with the addition of either garlic or chocolate chips." - L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg of MetaFilter

I love garlic. I love it in pretty much anything that would not also be compatible with chocolate chips. While garlic may not ward off evil and protect you against vampires it definitely will enhance nearly any meal (aside from trecipes benefiting from the addition of choclate chips) with it's bold, aromatic and savory flavor.

Pasta Aglio e Olio is a dish I have always loved, ordering it often when eating out. My attempts over the years to make it myself have been consistently disappointing. I tried winging it and I tried following recipes but it never came out right. Either it was too... well, oily for my tastes or it was too dry (when I tried to reduce the amount of olive oil).

Finally I happened across a recipe in a Cooking Light magazine and decided to try it. I've modified it over time, adding more garlic and parsley and omitting the oregano (!?). The secret to this recipe is a drastically reduced amount of olive oil mitigated by the addition of chicken stock to moisten the dish and the use of both sauted and nearly raw garlic - the former providing a mellow note and the latter giving it a nice kick.

Best part? I like it much better than any other recipe I've tried and it's actually low calorie and guilt free! YAY!

Pasta Aglio e Olio
serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, 3 minced and 3 thinly sliced
1 lb spaghetti
1/2 - 3/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh minced fresh parsley

Bring water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, combine the sliced garlic with the olive oil and heat gently, until the garlic is just golden. Remove from heat.

When the pasta is ready drain it and return it to the pot. Add the sliced garlic and olive oil and toss. Add the chicken broth and the minced garlic. Heat over a medium flame until most of the broth is absorbed, stirring constantly. Stir in parsley and serve immediately.

Per serving: Calories 278; Fat 7.7g; Protein 7.9g; Carbs 43.7g; Fiber 1.5g

Comments

[Joe Spinelli]

My parents and grandparents were from Apulia in Italy. My mother's favorite pasta dish (and now mine) is pasta aglio e olio con alici (or con acciughe) or anchovies. Add a 2-oz can of chopped anchovies to your olive oil and garlic sauce, stirring until they begin to dissolve. THEN add 1 cup of clam juice (rather than chicken broth although chicken broth and even water will do) and allow sauce to simmer. You will have created an anchovy-garlic flavored sauce that is dynamite. When draining your pasta, save one cup of the pasta water (it's salty and has some starch dissolved in it) and add it after the sauce has been mixed into the pasta if it seems too dry. I always let my pot of sauced pasta rest covered for several minutes to allow the liquid sauce to penetrate the strands, otherwise if you serve it at once, all of the good parts are at the bottom of the bowl or pot.

[Ann]

That sounds really yummy-- I'll be trying it soon. Thanks!

[Jack]

Joe: that sounds like the kind of pasta I'd love. I'm crazy about anchovies. I'm going to try it very soon. Thanks!