Aglio e Olio with Bottarga

Name: Aglio e Olio with Bottarga
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 pound spaghetti; 6 garlic cloves, finely sliced; 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (or 2 peperoncino peppers, diced); 3 anchovies, diced; 1/2 cup of quality extra virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons of grated bottarga; 4 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan; Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

by michelletang118 February 26, 2022

written by michelletang118 February 26, 2022

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Aglio e Olio. Translated into English, it means “spaghetti with garlic and oil.” Perhaps the most simple pasta ever known to man. While there are debates as the origins of this pasta dish, suffice to say it comes from Naples. Four ingredients are all you need: garlic, olive oil, spaghetti, and red chilli flakes. Finish off with a sprinkling of diced parsley if you desire. Due to its sheer simplicity, Aglio e olio makes a great base recipe for any home cooks repertoire.

Me being me though, I like to step things up a level with a veil of sophistication. I incorporated some anchovies into my recipe and cooked it gently on low heat simultaneously with the garlic in the olive oil and also grated some bottarga for the extra umami touch. Decadence.

One word of caution. While Aglio e olio is simple and can be inexpensive to make, you really need to let the flavours shine. Hence, don’t be a miser and dish out on the best quality pasta and olive oil you can afford. The artisan Martelli pasta is my brand of choice. Martelli is a family-run business located in Lari, a small medieval village near Pisa. They have been making pasta using old-style traditions since 1926.