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Spaghetti aglio e olio – Italian recipe
Every Italian knows how to make spaghetti aglio olio, even Italians who don't know how to cook. This delicious pasta with aglio (garlic), olio (olive oil) and peperoncino (chili pepper) is ideal for quick meals. In Italy, the dish is also extremely popular after a party as pasta di mezzanotte.
- 400 g Spaghetti
- 4 Garlic cloves
- 1 Chili pepper, red
- 2 Stem Leaf parsley
- 1 EL Butter
- 100 ml Olive oil
- 50 g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 40 g Salt
- black pepper
- 1 Pasta pot
- 1 Pan
- 1 Soup ladle
- 1 Pasta strainer
- Pepper mill
- Parmesan grater
Schritt für Schritt durch´s Rezept
- Step 1Bring 4 liters of water with the salt to the boil in a large pan. Cook the spaghetti until al dente according to the instructions on the packet.
- Step 2Peel the garlic cloves. Then cut into thin, even slices and set aside.
- Step 3Now cut the chili pepper into fine rings and also set aside. (Note: if a milder heat is desired, halve the pepper lengthwise and remove the seeds before cutting the chili).
- Step 4Pluck the parsley leaves from the stalks and chop finely.
- Step 5Heat 100 ml of olive oil in a large pan. If you hold the handle of a wooden spoon in it and bubbles form, it is hot enough to fry the spices.
- Step 6Add the garlic to the pan and fry, stirring constantly, until it is almost light brown. Now add the chili and fry for 5 seconds, followed by the parsley, which also fries for 5 seconds. Then deglaze everything with half a ladleful of the pasta cooking water. If the spaghetti is not yet cooked, keep the sauce on a very low heat.
- Step 7Drain the cooked spaghetti, then add to the seasoning oil in the pan and mix well. Stir in a tablespoon of cold butter and allow to melt for good binding.
- Step 8Arrange the pasta on plates, season with freshly ground pepper and sprinkle with Parmesan.
The original recipe from Naples
This popular pasta dish comes from Naples, where it is one of the typical and traditional recipes alongside spaghetti puttanesca and spaghetti vongole. Aglio e olio has long been part of the cucina piccina in Naples. Piccina means small kitchen and describes the cuisine of the poor. In principle, aglio e olio is a slimmed-down spaghetti vongole – without the vongole.
Today, the recipe is still so popular because it is really quick and easy to make. It is also practical because it still only consists of ingredients that don’t cost much and are always in the store cupboard. However, for it to taste really good, the few ingredients must be of good quality: extra virgin olive oil and fresh garlic.
Although there are so few ingredients, there are many variations to the recipe. It starts with cutting the garlic. You can use thin slices, fine sticks or even a garlic press. You can find recipes with or without parsley, with or without Parmesan, etc. The best-known variation is certainly aglio, olio e peperoncino, for which chilli is simply added to the pasta.
In addition to classic spaghetti, other long, thin pasta shapes also go well with this dish, such as vermicelli or linguine.
Drink recommendation for spaghetti aglio e olio
A strong red Primitivo from Puglia goes very well with this pasta classic, but a Pinot Grigio is also perfect. If you don’t like wine, serve a cool Birra or Chinotto, the cola-like Italian lemonade with the aroma of bitter orange.
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