...which means Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, and chili peppers in Italian.
And whenever I think about this dish it brings me back to my childhood.
I grew up in a house where fifty people could show up for dinner on a random Tuesday in March and my mom would be able to feed them without even going to the store. I learned that with a few ingredients ALWAYS on hand you will ALWAYS have a meal ready in record time if you need to feed unexpected visitors.
These days I don't see many "drop-ins" that come for dinner but I still could easily feed a small army if they showed up behind my door one night.
This dish is one that can be whipped up in lightening speed. It reminds me of the MANY evenings after countless events that my parents were involved in with the Sons of Italy organization (dinner dances, meetings, bowling events, etc.) and we would all end up at someone's house around midnight (because no one really wanted to go home yet!!) and the group was naturally hungry. The host either brought out the pancake griddle or made up a couple of pounds of Aglio e Olio which required very little ingredients, was super quick to prepare, and fed everyone.
I make this pasta a lot, I really like the simplicity of it. (Roast some garlic cloves in olive oil with some chili flakes; cook your pasta; add some of the pasta water to the oil and garlic; toss the drained pasta in the oil mixture; sprinkle some Parmesan or Romano cheese and voila!)
So, if you are ever worried about drop-in visitors and what to feed them when they show up hungry behind your door...remember to keep some pasta, garlic, and olive oil in your pantry and you will always have a quick meal on hand.
And whenever I think about this dish it brings me back to my childhood.
I grew up in a house where fifty people could show up for dinner on a random Tuesday in March and my mom would be able to feed them without even going to the store. I learned that with a few ingredients ALWAYS on hand you will ALWAYS have a meal ready in record time if you need to feed unexpected visitors.
These days I don't see many "drop-ins" that come for dinner but I still could easily feed a small army if they showed up behind my door one night.
This dish is one that can be whipped up in lightening speed. It reminds me of the MANY evenings after countless events that my parents were involved in with the Sons of Italy organization (dinner dances, meetings, bowling events, etc.) and we would all end up at someone's house around midnight (because no one really wanted to go home yet!!) and the group was naturally hungry. The host either brought out the pancake griddle or made up a couple of pounds of Aglio e Olio which required very little ingredients, was super quick to prepare, and fed everyone.
I make this pasta a lot, I really like the simplicity of it. (Roast some garlic cloves in olive oil with some chili flakes; cook your pasta; add some of the pasta water to the oil and garlic; toss the drained pasta in the oil mixture; sprinkle some Parmesan or Romano cheese and voila!)
So, if you are ever worried about drop-in visitors and what to feed them when they show up hungry behind your door...remember to keep some pasta, garlic, and olive oil in your pantry and you will always have a quick meal on hand.
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