fresh pasta with aglio, olio e prezzemolo

Life on the Main Line had been steadily improving during the nineties. Following the explosion of coffee bars towards the end of the decade (after our two new book superstores pioneered the concept earlier in the decade) came a supermarket chain experiment in Bryn Mawr just in time to be in full operation before the turn of the century/millennium/whatever. Trendy upscale gourmet food in a giant shell of a building vacated by a local car dealership that had been a local institution, but which failed to reach the bridge to the 21st century. And a catchy internet age name to go with it: The Food Source (although they quickly abandoned their website for it).

While dr bob was at his mom's out of state, ms_ani stopped by for some Y2K eve supplies and got some quick advise about how to make a simple sauce for the fresh pasta she'd decided on for dinner. An oil and garlic sauce variation. So when bob finally returned that evening, everything was ready. Fresh fettuccine with the sauce, tuna steaks, candles, white wine, etc. Followed by another quiet New Year's eve at home in front of the TV, just the two of us. How nice.

Later we tried it with fresh tri-colored penne and it was equally delicious. And then again with fettuccine. And again with ... it looks like this recipe is becoming a regular thing.

ingredients

3 T olive oil [olio]
about 6 cloves of garlic [aglio], pressed
1/4 c white wine
2 whole pepperoncini (unbroken)
1/4 c chopped parsley [prezzemolo]
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb fresh pasta (fettuccine or penne)
freshly grated parmigiano and black pepper over individual servings

instructions

  1. Get the pasta water cooking and when boiling throw in the salt (your guess is as good as mine) and pasta. Cook al dente.
  2. Meanwhile heat the olive oil (in a large pan that will accommodate the pasta when it is ready, like the 4 qt Calphalon professional nonstick chef's pan, our favorite pan), then add the pepperoncini and pressed garlic.
  3. Make sure that the garlic does not brown. Stop it from cooking by dowsing it with the wine and let the wine evaporate.
  4. Then add the parsley. Let it cook for a few minutes and add the salt and pepper and turn off the heat.
  5. After draining the cooked pasta, add it to the sauce in its pan.
  6. Serve with freshly ground parmigiano and black pepper on each individual portion.

notes

  1. Of course aglio, olio e pepperoncino is one of the classic quick Italian pasta sauces, and this one also has pepperoncino, but whole unbroken ones so you don't feel the heat. If you break them open, it becomes a hot sauce ("piccante") and you have to change the name. We're also breaking one of the traditional Italian rules by adding parmigiano to a sauce with pepperoncino, but then we are saved by the fact that the pepperoncino is under house arrest here so to speak. [We Americans are less bound by tradition.]
frshpsta.htm: 16-aug-2006 [what, ME cook? © 1984 dr bob enterprises]