Aglio E Olio

This is one of my all time favorite pasta dishes. I was NEVER impressed with it when I ordered it from restaurants and then at some point I read about it online and decided to try and make it at home - so much better that way because I put all of the love and effort into all of my pasta dishes that I make in my kitchen!!

Aglio e olio is a simple and classic Italian dish. There are a ton of spin off versions of it but the essentials will always be the garlic (aglio) and the oil (olio.)

This is a recipe that's super dependent on the technique since the ingredients are so simple, so pay attention to these two notes lol:

You have to gently cook the garlic (and optional red pepper flakes) in good quality EVOO, that way the oil is infused with a deeeep garlic flavor.
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You have to salt your pasta water. Adding starchy salty pasta water to the skillet with the garlic and oil is CRUCIAL because it helps emulsify the sauce to create a silky, less oily texture.

What you need:

• 1/2 lb of pasta (I prefer something longer linguine or spaghetti)
• 1/4 cup good quality EVOO (Jovial Foods is my favorite)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (this is optional but highly recommended, it's my favorite addition!)
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley (also optional)

What to do:

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Do NOT skip salting the pasta water here!! Since the pasta sauce is very simple, the pasta must be seasoned with salt as it cooks.
2. Warm the oil in a skillet on medium heat stove setting. Once the oil is warm, add the garlic and cook for a minute or two until fragrant.
   
3. Turn the heat down low until there's a few minutes of cooking time left for the pasta you're making.  *If you're using red pepper flakes, I like to add them to the oil halfway through cooking the garlic so that the oil doesn't get insanely spicy.
4. Once your pasta has about 5 minutes of cooking time left, turn the skillet heat to medium-high. Scoop about 1/3 cup of pasta water out of the boiling pasta pot and add it to the skillet. The starchy water and oil will emulsify as it cooks and bubbles in the heat, it's finished once you notice it's thickened a bit and is looking glossy.
5. Mix the cooked pasta into the finished sauce. Here is where you'll add the fresh chopped parsley if you're going that route. Not traditional but, I also like to top with parmesan cheese!