This weekend John and I went to the movies. We kept going back and forth on which movie we should see, and neither of us were compromosing. So, we decided to divide and conquor. John saw X-Men and I saw Chef.
Overall, the movie was great! The constant reference to social media struck me as a little bizarre, but the story line was sweet and the food porn scenes were epic.
One of my favorite scenes was when Chef Carl Casper (John Favreau) made a simple, yet totally decadent pasta dish for Molly (Scarlett Johansson) after a long night at the restaurant. After a little searching, I found out that this classic dish is called spaghetti aglio e olio, or spaghetti with garlic and oil.
photo credit: http://hungryandexcited.com/
I first heard of this dish on Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa. She referred to it as 'Midnight Spaghetti' because after a long night in the kitchen, chefs would make this dish for themselves. It's simple to make, with common ingredients, yet tastes delicious and leaves one feeling totally satisfied.
Although I haven't been working in a kitchen all night, I did have a really long and busy day. When I got home I wanted to make something quick, delicious and satisfying. I knew just the dish!
I started by sauteing lots of garlic in lots of olive oil.
Once the garlic was slightly golden, I added some red chili flake and s + p. Then I added the pasta and squeezed over half a lemon.
Here comes the un-authentic part. I had some cherry tomatoes and spinach that needed to be used, so I tossed them in as well. Also, I didn't have any parsley, so that was left out.
Spaghetti Aglio E Olio Suggecipe:
- spaghetti
- lots of olive oil
- 5 or so cloves of garlic
- 1-3 pinches of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 lemon
- s + p
Additions:
- handful of spinach
- handful of cherry tomatoes
Saute the garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat until slightly golden. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for a minute or two. Next, add the cooked al dente spaghetti to the pan and toss. Squeeze over 1/2 the lemon and season with s + p. If desired, toss in the additional ingredients.