for someone whos not very good in the kitchen. simple ingredients etc
It doesn't get much simpler than this …
GARLIC & OIL PASTA (AGLIO E OLIO)
Per Person
INGREDIENTS
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of olive oil
125ml of water
¼ of a teaspoon of salt
100g of spaghetti
Ground pepper to taste
METHOD
Peel the garlic and chop it into tiny pieces.
Put the oil into a frying pan on a moderate heat. Add the garlic. Fry the garlic for about 5 minutes until it is brown, stirring to stop it sticking.
Put the water and salt into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Put the pasta into the water. Stir it to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan. Bring back to the boil and continue to cook, stirring to stop it sticking.
Begin testing it about 2 minutes before the packet instructions say it should be done. The best way to judge if pasta is cooked is to bite it. This is tricky, because if you fish out a bit and stick in your mouth you may burn your mouth on the boiling water. Wait a bit and blow on it, then bite it. If it is hard it needs longer. If it is chewy (or al dente, Italian for "to the teeth") it is ready. If it is soft it is overcooked.
Drain the pasta in a sieve or colander. Season with the pepper.
Always “take the pasta to the sauce”. Put the pasta in the pan with the sauce and stir until thoroughly coated.
ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES
Use any other long thin plain pasta, like linguine (thin and flat), tagliolini (very thin and flat) or spaghettini (very thin and round), instead of spaghetti.
TIPS
If you use enough water, add the pasta when the water is boiling, stir the pasta and don’t wander off (“Gli spaghetti amano la compagnia” or “Spaghetti loves company”) and don’t overcook it, adding olive oil to the water to stop it sticking is totally unnecessary.
PS. I have seen this dish on a restaurant menu for £8.50!