A simple dish from days gone by — spaghetti with olive oil and garlic

I’m old enough to remember when Catholics couldn’t eat meat on Friday, a sign of sacrifice we no longer practice. As a child, there were many alternatives for me since I didn’t eat fish then. It was either pizza or an Italian dish called agilo e olio, basically spaghetti with garlic and olive oil.

So it was a trip down memory lane for me to find this recipe for it on Cooking Professionally. Even if you don’t consider yourself a great cook, you can make this in minutes and impress your family and friends.

The recipe is simplicity itself.

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti, uncooked 

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 

• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 

• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

• 1/4 cup chopped parsley 

• 1 cup parmesan, grated, optional

I use only whole wheat or multigrain pasta these days, too much regular pasta can cause blood sugar issues for you.

Cooking it all is a nine-step process:

Directions

Step 1

Cook the pasta in boiling water to your preferred doneness, for about 8-12 minutes.

Step 2

While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium to medium-low heat.

Step 3

Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté, stirring constantly to prevent burning, until the garlic is just golden, for about 2 minutes.

Step 4

Add red pepper flakes. (We never used these when I was a kid, adding them is optional for you.)

Step 5

Remove the skillet from the heat.

Step 6

Once the pasta is done cooking, transfer it to the skillet with at least 1/2 cup of the pasta water. The pasta water will help bind the sauce to the pasta.

Step 7

Toss the pasta.

Step 8

Add the parsley and parmesan and toss to combine.

Step 9

Serve hot!

And finally as my Italian-American grandmother would say, manga!