Garlic and Oil.

OMG. I've been eating (and making) this dish since I lived in Italy. For Sherri S--Aglio e Olio means "garlic and oil". For Trent, 200 g is roughly a half pound (a pound is 454 g).

Prior to this, I've never been happy with my home version--it was always too oily, and since I'd always minced the garlic, it was either raw or bitter. Following the video directions exactly, it was perfect.

Because the weather here is unseasonably cold, my basil died on my windowsill, so I used Italian parsley instead, which is probably more authentic. Having read previous comments, I did some research, and every cookbook and web recipe I came across DOES use parmigiana-reggiano (AKA parmesan) as at the very least, an option. Having lived in Tuscany, and having friends from all over Italy, "authentic" is very dependent upon which region, or even city, one hails from.

This dish took literally 15 minutes to make, most of which was letting the pasta boil. My mouth is happy--I will never make this any other way again (though the addition of capers sounds like an interesting twist--not a real difference).

My Daughter is a pasta fanatic and it's practically the only thing she eats. I made this recipe tonight and she loved it! She is also a huge fan of garlic and cheese so for plate I went pretty heavy on parmesan cheese.

Just made this for lunch and i am amazed how tasty it is. Such a simple but flavour packed dish.

I made this dish this evening and it was awesome. This will definately be a dish a go to when I need to a quick meal. However, it seemed a little dry. I add the reserve water after putting the pasta into the pan with the garlic and chili peppers. and add more oil at the end. It definately had enough oil. What could have went wrong?

This pasta is not considered to be a "saucy" pasta, so it's hard to me to know exactly what you consider to be "drier" pasta. It's also hard to say exactly what "could have went wrong?" as I am not sure exactly how it turned out or how it was made.

Off the top of my head, I would say that perhaps you may have needed to add a bit more water? Perhaps the pasta may have been a touch over cooked and therefore it may have absorbed a bit more liquid? Again, it's hard to say exactly. I would recommend that you try it again as this is an outstanding pasta that is absolutely a staple in our house. Hope this helps. Cheers!

This is a dish that I would recommend for any beginner cook (or any cook for that matter to get better) because it's cheap, easy, and tastes wonderful. What it teaches is patience and proper technique and all you have to do is vary the sauce components to a degree a you'll have multiple dishes in your arsenal. I made this with a quick seared chicken breast on the side topped with a simple Buerre Blanc and it came out wonderful, my wife loved it. I think people have a tendency to over sauce pasta, which can ruin the dish, a lightly coated pasta is best in my opinion. Great meals do not have to take a lot of work, or require working years in a professional kitchen, on the contrary the best meals are the simplest ones the have been made with love and patience.

I love dishes where the simple flavors of quality ingredients shine through. This absolutely fits that category! I think we over-think food sometimes. This dish will be a staple at our house - especially if we're in a time crunch with no idea what to make for dinner!

Do you have the nutritional values on your recipes?

We do not really focus on nutritional information or calories as we focus on the skills and techniques behind cooking and recipes.

Although we have many great instructional recipes we are not a recipe site, we are cooking school. Once you learn how to cook you are then free to change recipes to suit your health needs. Cheers!

I'm munching through a plate of this now as I type after making it for the very first time. I am not someone that likes the feel of al dente pasta so I over cook it through choice but why pay for lessons then ignore the teachers? By the time it had been in the pan with the oil and the saved water for a few minutes it was to my liking. The garlic shone through with just the odd soft bite from the chilli. I'd definitely make again, especially after investing in 'proper' olive oil.

Stupid Question: I got one in a dark bottle that said it was cold pressed which is apparantly a good thing It does say 'oil obtained by solely mechanical means'. Does that mean its not as good as the other indicators suggest?

Since imported olive oil does not require specific indicators on the packaging, the only indicator that will tell you are getting 100% mechanically cold pressed olive oil is the acidity. If they don't tell the acidity it's because it's higher than the optimal. This can be mean lesser olives or compromised processing.

I made this dish twice in one day... first for lunch and again for dinner. The first time I made it with supermarket pasta. The second time I used quality pasta extruded through bronze dies. The difference in taste and texture was huge!

The moral of the story is that it is worth the effort to find and use quality pasta!

Just made this tonight as it was part of the new lessons that are being put together. First I must say I'm really enjoying the new learning method as I really got a lot out of the Pasta course. I'm one who has not been properly preparing pasta. Secondly this recipe is fabulous. I love that there are few ingredients but that the flavor is so good. Quality ingredients totally make a difference and I can totally appreciate purchasing brass extruded pasta. I now get it.

Hi Todd- Thanks so much for the feedback. Here at Rouxbe we care about your success in the kitchen. It seems that you are well on your way. Enjoy.

Just need a clarification - after you drain the pasta and cook it in the pan again with the left over water (which I understand should not be a lot but just enough water to moist the pasta and a bit more) - during this time we add parsley/basil + the oil with garlic and pepper + the left over olive oil?
Thanks.

You add the drained pasta to the pan that has the garlic and peppers already in it—adding water, only if needed. It's after that that you add the fresh herbs, if using.

You might also find it helpful to watch the video, as this will actually show you what we mean exactly. Hope that helps. Cheers!