Sometime last year, our next door neighbor gave us a plate of pasta. We didn't know what's it called, but sister and I loved it. When the same neighbor gave us another plate of similar looking pasta earlier this year, we finally learned the name of the dish: Aglio Olio Spaghetti. I loved how simple the dish is, and because I found myself craving for it, I decided to search the Internet for a recipe I could follow.
The recipe I am about to share was originally posted on Noob Cook. I decided to try this recipe from all the Aglio Olio recipes I have read because it has prawns, something I am currently loving right now.
Prawns Aglio e Olio
{Serves 2}
Ingredients:
- 180g spaghetti, cooked per package directions
- 3 tbsp pure olive oil
- 40g butter, divided
- 10 to 12 large prawns
- 10 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced or chopped (not too finely)
- 2 red chili pods, sliced (or 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes)
- 30g Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- salt and freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
- While cooking the pasta, remove the shells and veins from the prawns. Set aside the shelled prawns, but don't discard the heads and the shells. Use these to make a stock by putting the heads and shells in a small pot and add a little water. Simmer for about 5 minutes then strain and set aside the stock.
- In a sauce pan, heat half of the butter and cook the prawns. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook both sides and set aside.
- Using the same pan, add olive oil and saute garlic and chili just until the garlic bits turn light brown (not completely toasted).
- Turn off the stove. You can cook the garlic until they are golden brown or you can now add the cooked pasta and prawns, as well as a little of the stock, parsley and the rest of the butter to give the pasta that shine. Stir, making sure the pasta has a coat of all the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, according to your preference.
This was my first try to cook such a dish. I realized, I didn't really like the addition of the stock - that I preferred my dish just with olive oil and butter. I did love the addition of the prawns. The recipe called for flat leaf parsley, but it wasn't available at the supermarket, so I just went for the curly parsley.
I have cooked this dish about three times after this one. I have made some changes and now I finally found the taste I wanted.
- I loved adding a dash of Italian seasoning as I saute the garlic and chili.
- I found out that dried chilis tend to be spicier - which I loved more.
- The more garlic, the better.
- To make the oil more garlic-ky, I would leave some cloves of garlic into the oil and leave it overnight.
- I prefer the dish to be as simple as this... no need for cheese.
The one neighbor gave us had bacon bits and sliced black olives. I will go ask them how they cooked it and maybe use chicken or turkey franks instead of bacon.
Original recipe can be read HERE. Thanks for the inspiration, Noob Cook.
I come from a family who loves cooking and eating. I never had any formal training in cooking and that I taught myself how to cook based on the handed down recipes, but I could say that I can cook good food. In 2008, I started documenting my food trips for my