Olio e Aglio with Extras

Spaghetti Olio e Aglio (i.e. with olive oil and garlic) is a classic Italian recipe involving nothing more than just pasta, olive oil and minced garlic. Yet, there are times when Olio e Aglio in its purest form just will not do, especially when I'm looking for a one-dish meal. The extra ingredients (courtesy of whatever I can find in the freezer or fridge) which go well with olive oil and garlic are mixed into the pasta as well.


Prawn, lean bacon and sliced button mushroom fettuccine was tonight's final result. Fettuccine would not have been my pasta of choice for this dish, being broad and better suited for pasta with lots of tomato sauce or creamy sauce, but I had run out of spaghetti. Still, the combination worked quite well.

I particularly loved the crispy bits of garlic lightly browned in the olive oil - be mindful of not burning the same as they will taste bitter and thoroughly ruin this wonderful dish. I usually scoop out the garlic bits from the pan when they are slightly golden with one to two tablespoons of the heated olive oil and place them into a small bowl, where they will continue to cook and brown. With the remaining olive oil, fry the lean bacon, sliced mushrooms and prawns, adding a pinch of salt and crushed red pepper for that extra zing.

At this juncture, I cannot but stress the importance of using good quality extra virgin olive oil for this dish (in fact the best you can afford) - you will definitely taste the difference in flavor as you slurp in the strands of spaghetti (or fettuccine). Oh, and don't hold back on the quantity of olive oil to be used in this dish (especially when adding other ingredients to the mix which will absorb the oil) so that there's enough to toss and coat the pasta. Olive oil is predominantly monounsaturated oil with very little or no cholesterol and generally reputed to be good for health - no guilty feelings when attacking this dish with gusto!