The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 837

Pasta aglio e olio comes from the Abruzzo region of Italy, but this simple dish of pasta tossed with garlic sautéed in olive oil with a pinch of hot pepper flakes and a sprinkle of parsley can be found at pretty much any Italian-American restaurant in this country, and it is the base for dozens of common variations Pasta with clam sauce, pasta primavera, and pasta with shrimp (or shrimp scampi, as some translationally challenged menus will call it) all stem from the same root Three flavors of garlic make their way into this bowl of pasta Often served with spaghetti, aglio e olio is about as simple as a pasta sauce gets I prefer serving mine with shorter, stubbier pasta shapes like rotini, or with orecchiette, which will pick up plenty of sauce, but then, I’m a garlic- and-olive-oil fiend Feel free to serve it with any shape you’d like The key to the recipe is to start with great olive oil (see “All About Olive Oil,” here) and to treat the garlic three different ways, first infusing the olive oil with toasted whole cloves to add sweet depth to the oil, then sautéing thin slices for small bursts of garlic flavor in the finished dish, and finally adding minced garlic at the very end for a spicy current to tie the whole thing together The layering of flavors makes for deep, deep garlickiness To this base, a pinch of red pepper flakes adds heat, and a handful of chopped parsley adds grassy freshness As for getting the sauce to coat the pasta effectively, that can be a little trickier The problem with olive oil is that its emulsive properties are pretty low: it does not want to bind with water And once you add your pasta to it, you end up with a thin sauce with a greasy oil slick on top So what? You might say Isn’t all the flavor in there anyway? Well, sort of The flavor might all be there, but the real problem is that when the oil and water are separate like that, they tend to run off the pasta and collect at the bottom of the bowl You end up with dry, bland pasta on top and a wet, soupy mess left over when you’re finished with it Indeed, it’s exactly the same as the importance of creating a good emulsified vinaigrette when you’re making a salad Without one, you end up with underseasoned greens and broken oil and vinegar at the bottom of the salad bowl How you fix it? Easy: a bit of butter Butter has properties that allow it to emulsify quite well with water What’s more, it acts as a liaison, holding olive oil’s hand and allowing it to come along for the ride, especially when it ... Isn’t all the flavor in there anyway? Well, sort of The flavor might all be there, but the real problem is that when the oil and water are separate like that, they tend to run off the pasta and collect at the bottom... to the oil, then sautéing thin slices for small bursts of garlic flavor in the finished dish, and finally adding minced garlic at the very end for a spicy current to tie the whole thing together... any shape you’d like The key to the recipe is to start with great olive oil (see “All About Olive Oil,” here) and to treat the garlic three different ways, first infusing the olive oil with toasted