← From the Kitchen

No. 1Chris original

Aglio e Olio

Garlic, oil, pasta water, and a little restraint with the parsley.

A bowl of spaghetti aglio e olio flecked with parsley

Inspired byA YouTube video ↗

My own recipe. It’s five ingredients, it’s fast, and it’s the thing I make when the day has been long.

Ingredients

  • ~1 lb long pasta (spaghetti, bucatini, whatever is in your pantry)
  • ½ cup olive oil (get some good stuff for this, trust)
  • 6–8 garlic cloves (but we both know you’ll do more), sliced as thinly as you’re comfortable with. Had a long day? Send them through a garlic press and cook at a lower temperature. It’s all good.
  • ⅓–½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped pretty finely
  • 1 lemon
  • Optional: crushed red pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving about 1–2 cups of pasta water.
  2. In a cold pan, add the olive oil and garlic. Heat at low to medium. Pressed for time (aka hungry)? Medium. Want the full flavor? Keep it low-medium.
  3. You’re infusing the oil with garlic, so stir it around. It’s done when it tastes right or the garlic turns golden brown. Add crushed red pepper here if you want heat.
  4. Add the pasta and toss in the oil, adding pasta water little by little until it’s coated and shiny (you won’t need all of it).
  5. This is where I salt. Be a bit aggressive; it pulls out that garlic and olive oil flavor.
  6. Off the heat, add the parsley and toss.
  7. Finish with lemon juice and more salt to taste.

Enjoy it on its own, with a protein, under a pile of parmigiano, whatever you want. There are no rules.

Wine pairing: call me crazy, but a dry rosé. It weirdly works.

“Nobody looks cute with a parsley leaf in their teeth… except maybe Ana de Armas.”

Vibes · cook to this

21 Guns

Green Day

Drop the needle ← tap the record

The recipe

Ingredients

  • ~1 lb of long pasta (spaghetti, bucatini, whatever is in your pantry)
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil (get some good stuff for this, TRUST)
  • 6–8 garlic cloves (but we both know you’ll do more), as thinly sliced as you’re comfortable with. Or if you’ve had a long day, just send them through a garlic press and cook it at a lower temperature; it’s all good.
  • 1/3–1/2 cup of flat-leaf parsley, chopped pretty finely. Nobody looks cute with a parsley leaf in their teeth… except maybe Ana de Armas.
  • 1 lemon
  • Optional: crushed red pepper (for heat, to taste)

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot to a boil and add your pasta, cooking until al dente. Drain and reserve about 1–2 cups of the pasta water.
  2. In a cold pan, add your olive oil and garlic. Heat the pan at a low to medium heat. If you’re pressed for time (aka hungry), do medium; if you want that full flavor, keep it on that low-medium.
  3. You’re essentially infusing your oil with that garlic flavor, so stir the garlic around a bit. You can tell when you’re done by taste, or when your garlic turns a golden brown. Add crushed red pepper here if you want some heat.
  4. Add the pasta to the pan and toss in the oil. Slowly add pasta water, little by little, until the pasta is well coated and has a nice shine (no need to use all of it).
  5. This is where I tend to salt the dish. Feel free to be a bit aggressive to pull out more of that garlic and olive oil flavor.
  6. Remove the pan from the heat, add your parsley, and toss with the pasta.
  7. From here, add lemon juice and more salt to taste.

And you’re done! Enjoy it on its own, with a protein, topped with parmigiano, whatever you want. There are no rules!

Wine pairing: Call me crazy, but a dry rosé. It weirdly works.