Making Restaurant-Quality Garlic Pasta at Home for $8
For those who enjoy simple and quick dishes like garlic oil pasta, this recipe offers a cost-effective way to recreate a high-end restaurant's garlic flavor at home. The entire recipe costs only about $8 and includes a pre-cooking process for convenience.
Introduction to Garlic Oil Pasta
Welcome to Don't Eat, Don't Learn! In this episode, we're tackling a Western restaurant staple: garlic oil pasta (aglio e olio). While ordering this dish at a restaurant, especially a high-end one, can easily cost over $100, even $400-$500, this recipe aims to deliver a similar, thick and sticky garlic flavor for a fraction of the price.
Ingredients and Preparation
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Garlic: The recipe calls for local garlic, although Italian garlic is known for its stronger fragrance and larger size. Local garlic can achieve 80-90% of the desired flavor with proper processing.
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Pasta: Look for spaghetti that has a powdery coating, indicating a higher starch content. This is crucial for achieving the desired sauce consistency. If unavailable, a common brand like "B brand" can be used.
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Other Ingredients: The recipe also uses olive oil, salt, dried chili, and tomato. It is recommended to cut the tomato just before cooking to preserve its aroma.
Before starting, slice the garlic. If the core of the garlic is green, remove it to avoid a spicy taste. The main ingredient, however, is a pre-made garlic paste, costing around $8.
The Garlic Paste Secret
The key to this recipe is the garlic paste. This paste is created by slowly cooking garlic in olive oil until very tender, almost to the point where it separates from the cloves. The recipe emphasizes using a natural method: using olive oil and temperature to extract the garlic flavor. A stove can be used to speed up the process. It is crucial to cool the garlic and oil before proceeding.
Cooking Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: Boil water, add salt, and then add the spaghetti. To help soften the spaghetti faster, pour boiling water over it. Cook the pasta to about 70-80% doneness, consulting the package instructions for timing.
- Prepare the Garlic Oil Base: Heat olive oil in a flat-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add garlic slices and salt. This is the basic step for garlic oil pasta, but with the addition of the roasted garlic paste, it achieves a deeper flavor. Add dried chili flakes for spice.
- Create the Sauce: Add some of the pasta water to the pan. The pasta water contains starch, which is key for creating a thick sauce.
- Combine and Finish: Add the pre-made garlic paste to the pan and cook it like risotto. Let the pasta continue cooking in the sauce until it is well-coated.
- Make the Garlic Paste (Alternative): As a reminder, if you want to make the garlic paste, you can use about 50 grams of garlic. Use low heat to slowly steam the garlic until they are slightly golden brown. Then take them out and let them cool down. The oil temperature will allow them to continue to fry and continue to cook. Let the oil cool down. When the garlic has cooled put some pasta water and the garlic into a blender and blend it into puree.
Achieving the Right Consistency
The recipe emphasizes the importance of the starch from the pasta. As the pasta cooks in the sauce, the starch will release, thickening the sauce. This process helps to speed up the fermentation. If there is leftover garlic oil, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Serving and Enjoying
Once the pasta is cooked and the sauce is thick and sticky, it is ready to serve. Plate the pasta and enjoy the rich garlic flavor. The garlic sauce will have been absorbed into the noodles during the last few minutes of cooking, and the remaining juice is a result of the fermentation process.
If you prefer a stronger garlic flavor or more sauce, simply add more garlic paste and pasta water during the cooking process.
Conclusion
This recipe provides a simple and affordable way to enjoy restaurant-quality garlic pasta at home. With just $8 and a few simple steps, you can create a delicious and satisfying meal.
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