Aglio ed Olio: A Pasta for the New Year

Here is a great dish for you start of the New Year. An easy pasta with a very bold taste. Although this pasta contains anchovies, the taste is not overpowering. Give this dish a try and let me know what you think.

Aglio and Olio is a family favorite. So easy to prepare, it is almost a sin!


In our house, only fish was served for Christmas Eve dinner as well as on New Year's Day. On Christmas eve we ate lots of different kinds of fish. Baccala (dried, salted, cod fish), shrimp, Mama Grande's Stuffed Sole, fried calamari,  clam cakes, baked stuffed clams, eel (yes eel!), stuffed calamari, calamari salad, and on and on!!

This pasta dish was always a favorite.

We never could pronounce it correctly, but we still love it!

Step 1 Saute the garlic.

Step 4 Add the anchovies

Ingredients

• 3-4 Tablespoons of olive oil
• 3-4 Cloves of garlic
• 1-2 Cans of anchovies in oil
• 1 lb. of your favorite pasta
• 1 1/2 cups of reserved pasta water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Put olive oil in sauté pan over medium-low heat.
2. Add minced garlic.
3. Slowly cook garlic. (Be careful not to burn the garlic, as it will turn bitter. )
4. Add anchovies and crumble with a fork. Set aside.
5. Cook pasta in about 4 quarts of water. Add a dash of salt, pepper, and oil.
   (The oil seems to keep the pasta from sticking.) After the pasta is cooked, reserve about 11/2 cups of the pasta water. The pasta water is your liquid for the sauce. Drain pasta.
6. Put the pasta water back in the sauce pan with the garlic, olive oil and anchovies. Reheat the mixture.
7. Toss the completed mixture with the pasta. Reserve a small amount for additional sauce.
8. Top with grated Parmesan cheese

Completed Aglio ed Oglio

Respectfully Submitted.

Albert Grande

The Pasta Promoter