Chefie’s World

The first cookbook I got from Mama was an Italian Classic Cookbook authored by Bugialli, I can not remember the whole name – early onset I guess. In its pages I was swept with the food that everyone is truly enjoying up until now. Yesterday, I had 8 ladies in my class “Classic Pasta Sauces” where one learns the basics of making and cooking Aglio e Olio, Pomodoro, Carbonara, Alfredo, Puttanesca and Pesto. Using good quality and the freshest ingredients are what makes Italian cooking really the best tasting.

With the sauces, comes the true and honest way to cook pasta and for first instructions, one has to read the box and find out how long a certain type of noodles ( 450 gms ) would get cooked. Whatever time is given is only a guideline, you may go over that time or not. Next is the amount of water it will be cooked in, it must be plenty like 4 liters or 16 cups so that the noodles can swim and get cooked faster, there’s about a 100 pasta sticks inside that bag. When the water starts boiling, add a handful of salt, this makes your pasta more porous as it cooks to accept the sauce you will introduce it in. Add the pasta, let it boil again, stir, stir and cook till “ al dente “ – with a little bite, some texture left on the noodle, not soggy and limp like most children enjoy. How do you know this? Get a piece and bite it…in time you will know…..

Good pasta dishes always come best when freshly cooked. Sauces can wait for the noodles but never the other way around since it will dry up and is not worthy of being smothered with a good delicious sauce.

The class lasted for only two hours, done so fast since Italian cooking is very simple. As long as it is done with passion and with good company….where did that come from. Enjoy the recipe for Aglio e Olio!

AGLIO E OLIO
Garlic and Olive Oil

Ingredients:

½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsps finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp sliced garlic
2 tbsps flat leaf or Italian parsley, chopped
½ - 1 tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp salt
350 gms pasta, al dente ( spaghetti )

Procedure:

Put olive oil and 2 tbsps minced garlic in a large pan over medium heat. When garlic begins to color, add parsley and red pepper flakes and salt. Stir well and remove from heat, add in 1 tbsp minced garlic. Let sauce wait for the pasta.

Cook pasta al dente. Return the pan with the sauce to a low heat, drain the pasta and add to the pan. Toss until pasta is well coated with the sauce, correct for taste. Serve immediately.

Note: Garlic is treated as an herb in most Italian cooking.
If you can’t find flat leaf or Italian parsley, don’t cook the dish. Cook it when you find the parsley, it spells a difference.
Lastly, if you know me, you know how to use the salt when you cook.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 at 6:02 pm and is filed under Food, recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.