Aglio e Olio

 

The basic Aglio e olio recipe, but with zucchine,
pepperone arrostiti (roasted peppers), salame,
and basilico

          As one can only imagine after a long day of classes, grocery shopping, dealing with the inevitable cell phone problem, and of course walking everywhere, starting to cook a big, complex meal is sometimes the last thing I want to do when I get home at 7:45pm (all of my classes end at 7:30). Although it is very European to eat late, 8:30-9 is when I start winding down my evening…not eat a meal. At Skidmore, my friends and I will often eat as early as 5 or 5:30, which would be a sin here of course (you can always tell that people are tourists when they are sitting outside of a trattoria eating a full meal at 6pm). Nonetheless, I have pulled through yet again with this simple, Italian dish that is a crowd pleaser and one of the first pasta dishes I ever made on my own. Aglio e olio (garlic and oil) is the quintessential italian comfort food. I mean, it is hot pasta with garlic, oil, and maybe some bread crumbs if you so desire. what more could you need? It was perfect for me as a child because I loved the fact that it had no vegetables and it is perfect for me now because it is so basic that I can easily add vegetables!  I take take the basic aglio-olio recipe (olive oil and garlic) and expand upon it with various combinations of chopped vegetables, roasted peppers, olives, or whatever I have in the fridge. These simple dishes have saved me time, money, and are an easy way to enjoy the flavors of Italy without slaving over the stove (not that there is anything wrong with that!). I usually pare my quick meals with a lovely salad of fresh rucola (arugula) drizzled with a tangy lemon/Dijon mustard/shallot dressing (one of my favorite flavor combinations), and shavings of parmigiano reggiano. The bitterness and peppery taste of the fresh rucola is balanced perfectly by the sweet acidity of the lemon, the nutty, smoky flavor of the mustard, and the garlicky/oniony taste of the shallot. I hope I am not boring you to death with the nonsense of simple meals and rambling about how I am being lazy by throwing vegetables into a pan, but I promise that I will soon have more interesting meals. For now, it is late and big surprise, I have another long day tomorrow! buona notte!!!