Estimated Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Recipe Source: Food&Wine
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is a timeless Italian classic pasta dish. This dish has peasant-cooking roots, utilizing a few ingredients to add layers of flavor in one meal. Even though the official name of this simple, iconic dish literally translates to spaghetti, garlic, and oil, there's also an optional ingredient that adds a spicy kick and a nice touch of warmth - the tiny red chili pepper known in Italian as peperoncino rosso, or diavolillo (translation: 'little devil') as it is affectionately referred to in some parts of the country.
The beauty of Pasta Aglio e Olio comes from building out the flavor profile in the olive oil. Better yet, the whole thing comes together in the time it takes for the water to boil, making it the perfect back-pocket pasta to add to your weeknight rotation.
Source: Chef (2014)
Food in movies, if done right, can inspire us in many ways. It can inspire us to cook a fancy dinner, take a cooking class, or in the case of the movie “Chef” start a food truck! Okay maybe not all of us can just get out there and start making Cuban sandwiches in an old food truck but we all can aim for one of the more simple and tantalizing recipes in the movie: Spaghetti Aglio e Olio!
The culinary mind behind all of the food in the movie was Chef Roy Choi of LA. Many know him from his popular Korean-Mexican food truck Kogi. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and has worked in the world renowned kitchen of Le Bernardin in NY. Needless to say, Chef Roy Choi knows how to make great food!
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is a dish that I think clearly shows Roy Choi’s style. A dish of few ingredients that come together to create something special! While the recipe may seem simple enough, it is one that you must give your complete love and attention to in order to make great.
• 1 pound dried spaghetti
• ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• ⅓ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Contains: wheat, milk, and gluten
• 1 Large Pot
• 1 Large Pan
• 1 Colander
• 1 Chef's Knife
• 1 Cutting Board
• 1 Cheese Grater
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Add 2 tablespoons of salt and the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until it just begins to turn golden on the edges.
Add the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more.
At this point, the pasta should be ready. Take your colander and carefully add the pasta directly into the garlic sauce that has been simmering. Add a touch of pasta water into the pan to keep things separated.
Off the heat, add the parsley and Parmesan and toss well. Once tossed, squeaze some lemon juice into the pan.
Taste for seasoning and serve warm with extra Parmesan on the side.
Now that the dish is finished, plate and serve!
Before storing in tupperware or any form of storage container, make sure that the food has cooled down sufficiently. This will prevent the food from going bad in the fridge.
Once the food has cooled down, relocate into your storage container of choice and place in fridge. Eat the leftover pasta within 2 weeks of putting into the fridge.
