Pasta Aglio Olio

Also called Pasta Aglio e Olio. Or Pasta with Garlic and Oil.

This is a dish I would almost never order in a restaurant. Because it is so simple to cook at home... and also because the other choices offered are usually a lot more enticing than this... a lot less "ordinary".

Nor would I typically order pasta all'arrabiata, which is pasta with lots of chilli. So, it came as a surprise to me when I read in the book My Last Supper that Jamie Oliver (yes, him of the Naked Chef fame) would want that for his last supper.

But I suppose sometimes, simple food usually is the best type of comfort food.

I don't think I make a fantastic Pasta Aglio Olio. But I make one good enough for me... and more importantly, it is a really simple meal. One that I can whip up in about about 12 minutes, usually.

Ingredients
Dried pasta - I usually like to use these thick flat ones from Marks and Spencer, which take about 9 minutes to get al-dente
Lots of chopped garlic
Some chopped dried chilli
A handful of chopped Italian Parsley
Some freshly grated parmesean cheese

What I did
1. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water with salt til al-dente (as mentioned, this takes 9 minutes)
2. Drain the pasta and set aside some of the water
3. Heat some olive oil in a pan and add in the garlic and chilli
4. Throw in the pasta and add the pasta water from step 2
5. Add in a good bit of white wine and the cheese
6. Add in freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
7. Turn off the heat and add in the parsley

You can start the cutting and chopping when you start cooking the pasta. Start step 3 when the pasta is almost ready. Steps 3 - 7 should take under 5 minutes.

Total cook time: 12 minutes
Total washing required: 1 pot, 1 pan, 1 chopping board + knife, 1 cheese grater, 1 plate. (If you eat directly from the pan, no plate.)

I've been really into pasta these days. I'm quite keen to try out the Fresh Egg Pasta recipe that is on Jamie Oliver's website, especially since I have some cake flour at home that I think would do the trick.

Oh well, one day.

In the meantime, I'd just try out his other pasta recipes using my good old dried pasta from Marks and Spencer. His meatballs and pasta recipe is good, by the way. And perhaps more importantly, it's fairly simple for me not to screw up...