Though making Spaghetti Alio e Olio requires very basic few ingredients but it is the quality of ingredients which does magic and convert bland pasta into flavorful dish. For the Alio Olio, I always peel garlic from the scratch, pluck fresh red chili and parsley from my kitchen garden and most importantly use best quality olive oil, especially not extra virgin olive oil that is strictly not for cooking. Some cooks believe adding too much of garlic and lugs of olive oil will make Alio Olio tastier which a big fat myth. Finely cut few cloves of garlic and chili along with limited amount of supreme quality olive is enough to make a wholesome dish. And yea I like Alio Olio with vegetables to have a balanced meal but that part can be skipped if you like your pasta without much add – on.
Ingredients
- 400 g spaghetti
- 2 tbsp + 50 ml olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves finely sliced
- 2 small red chilli finely sliced
- ½ Cup roughly chopped parsley
- ¼ Cup black olives cut into halves
- ¼ Cup vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper as per taste
Mix vegetables(Optional)
- 1 small carrot finely sliced
- 1 zucchini thinly sliced
- broccoli haricot beans can also be used
- freshly grated parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Boil the spaghetti in a large saucepan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions until al dente.
- Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water and set aside until required.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté the garlic and chilli. When the garlic turns golden brown, add the vegetables and saute for another 2 – 3 minutes.
- Add hot stock water to glaze the pan and stop vegetables from cooking. Switch off the gas.
- Add the pasta, olives, 50ml olive oil, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Keep tossing the pasta. The pasta liquid and oil will emulsify, thickening and coating the spaghetti.
- Sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan and some more parsley before serving. Enjoy with tossed bread.
5 comments
Wow! Yummy presentation.
looks yumm
Goodness you sure do know how to make my mouth water.. will try this recipe soon 🙂
I’ve made a similar recipe since I was a teenager (Italian Grandmother), but I never rinse the pasta. Also, I add some of the starchy pasta water to the oil and garlic.
Simply gorgeous post Hina 🙂