This is perhaps the simplest dish of all, so it seemed like the right place to start. Oil and garlic. During World War II, resources were scarce. But you had to eat. Cheese was a luxury.
I chose angel hair for this because I knew the "sauce" was going to be very thin and light. I wanted a thin pasta that wouldn't be too dense for a light sauce.
I sautéed 7 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced in the extra virgin olive oil. Then added red pepper flakes and a few chopped fresh Italian parsley stems. Once the pasta was almost al dente, I added a ladle of pasta water. Then transferred the pasta, added the parsley leaves. It seemed like I chopped up a ton of parsley, but it could have handled even more. Added a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Then added pasta water until it seemed the right consistency.
In a pinch, I've made olive oil pasta before. But never this good. It's simple and light, yet allows for the flavors to come through. You definitely get garlic. (Brit said the garlic was a bit strong, which to me was validation of a job well done.) You get the oil. The parsley adds a lot. And the red pepper and lemon are just there to give the whole thing some zing and brightness. It totally works.
Not my absolute favorite by any means, but still I get why this is a classic. A great place to start a journey. Pasta al Limone is an upgraded version of this concept that I'll make one day, so I'm glad I started here.
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