Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil. So basic but so flavourful. I have wanted to try making Spaghetti aglio e olio for sometime but never got to it. Until I stumbled upon jars of anchovies for sale in the supermarket. There are many versions of spaghetti aglio olio recipes available on the internet but I had my eyes set on Rachael Ray’s, which calls for Italian anchovies.
I like how simple it is, I can whip it up in 20 minutes with minimal preparation. The anchovies are very salty so you don’t even need salt. I made/ate this 4 times already this week, I am officially addicted!
I simplified Rachel’s recipe a wee bit, making do without dry vermouth and substituting dried pepper flakes with red chilli powder. I didn’t have parsley so I used a sprinkle of Italian herbs which contain parsley. Works just fine for me.
This recipe makes one serving.
Ingredients:
- ~100g dried spaghetti
- 1 – 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 or 2 anchovy fillet
- 4-5 large cloves garlic (I love garlic!)
- 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder or one fresh red chilli de-seeded
- Parsley (I used a sprinkle of Italian herbs)
Method:
- Boil spaghetti in a pot of slightly salted water according to packet instructions until al dente.
- While spaghetti is cooking, pound the garlic and fresh chilli (if using) until a paste is formed.
- Heat EVOO in a frying pan on medium heat.
- Add in anchovies and stir/break it up until it melts into the oil. (Mine didn’t melt completely, but its okay!)
- Add in garlic paste and chilli powder (if using), stir and let it sizzle gently in the anchovy oil.
- Sprinkle parsley or Italian herbs, stir for another 2 minutes on medium heat. By now the spaghetti would have finished cooking.
- Add cooked spaghetti together with a little pasta cooking water into the pan and mix around until well coated.
- Serve hot.
I like to eat mine with plenty of fresh cucumber slices or lettuce leaves. I think it compliments the saltiness of the anchovies very well. Mmmmmmm……
