A Rainy Day Recipe: Spaghettini Aglio e Olio

Yesterday was yet another grey, rainy day here in Ottawa. At least it’s getting a little warmer, but we sure could use some sunshine. It didn’t come yesterday, though. So, I made rainy-day food.

My favorite rainy-day dish is also one of the simplest that I know. Just seven ingredients, if you don’t count salt and pepper. They come together like Voltron, forming something so much greater than the sum of its parts. I give to you the ultimate rainy-day, empty pantry dish: spaghettini aglio e olio.

Yep, the very same dish that caused ScarJo to make goo-goo eyes at Jon Favreau in Chef is a study in harmonizing simple flavours. The garlic slowly mellowing in the olive oil, the spice of the chili flakes, the clean acidity of the lemon, the fresh bitterness of the parsley and the salty richness of the parmesan cheese. They all work together so well, a symphony of familiar flavours.

This dish comes together so quickly you might not be ready for it. The sauce can be ready even before the pasta water comes to a boil. Slice your garlic thinly and let it infuse into the oil. Keep your eye on it though, don’t let it brown and become nutty. Just a gentle sizzle of the oil so the garlic becomes pale gold.

There’s really not much else to say about this dish, other than you should most definitely try it, so let’s get right to the recipe.

Spaghettini Aglio e Olio

Ingredients:

• 5-6 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 TSP chili flakes
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, juice only
• ¼ cup Italian parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped
• 200g parmesan cheese, finely grated
• Spaghettini, as much as you want, I never cook the right amount

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil and garlic slowly in a pan or skillet over low heat. Add a healthy pinch of kosher salt. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Once the olive oil has reached a bare sizzle, with just some tiny bubbles around the garlic, add the chili flakes. Swirl the pan to incorporate everything and once the garlic is turning a pale gold, turn the heat off under the pan, allowing the residual heat to continue the cooking.
3. Drain the pasta, reserving about 75-100mL of the pasta cooking water.
4. Add the pasta to the pan, tossing to combine. Add the pasta water, the lemon juice and the parsley. Toss to combine and taste for seasoning, adding salt if needed and black pepper to taste.
5. Plate up and sprinkle the cheese over the pasta. Eat up and be amazed how good this humble dish can be.

This is really what I want to eat when the skies are grey and the weather is drizzly. When it all comes together perfectly, it’s a sublimely clean and balanced dish. It’s an exercise in the combining of simple flavours and until you experience it, you’ll never truly appreciate how humble ingredients that you always overlook can come together in perfect harmony. So, put on your favorite Specials album, and twist those noodles with a carving fork when you dish up because this is the peasant king of all pasta. Buon Appetitio!