Spaghetti Aglio e Olio - 17 April 2011

Sunday afternoon, waiting for the evening to come, how could I ever let the afternoon pass just lazying around in front of the computer watching some Korean variety shows? Then my growling baby stomach started complaining, it's time for some light lunch. Ransacking through the refrigerator, not much ingredients to make something worth eating. Then after 10 minutes of looking though the cupboard, I finally found the perfect meal for a Sunday brunch - Spaghetti Aglio e Olio.

Probably the simplest and quickest out of all the pasta recipes (Bolognaise Sauce in tin can is NOT counted), Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is a must-try even for a newbie. Though this would my first attempt to make my own, a friend cooked and taught me once. A shout to NENEK RATNA!

Now, let's go to the ingredients;
2 cloves garlic
2 cloves shallot (READ: Bawang Merah)
2 tablespoon of olive oil (I used Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
A spoonful of diced bacon
Half a teaspoon of dried chilly flake
A pinch of mixed Italian herbs
Spaghetti

Shall we start with the cooking process?
1. Cook the spaghetti half-way through (You wouldn't want to cook it too well-done, since we're going to stir-fry the pasta later on)

2. Thinly Slice the garlic and shallots (Please do not mince them), then stir fried them in medium to low heat olive oil until the fragrance came out. Then dump in the italian herbs, chilly flake, and the bacon. (I put the bacon last because I didn't want crispy bacon)

3. Once all the ingredients are cooked, throw in the half-cooked pasta in the sauce and stir-fried until the pasta is cooked through. I prefer mine to be 90% cooked, so it might take around 2 minutes or so.

4. Serve on a plate and garnish with a wee bit of dried herbs on top.

Originally, the recipe needs cheese, but I'd skip that sin part. Also, many recipes on the net doesn't use shallots, but my mentor NENEK RATNA mentioned it brings the extra aroma and flavour to the overall dish. Very true.

A really simple pasta recipe, perfect for those who are too lazy to go out, but too hungry to have home-delivered food.