UNBELIEVABLY CREAMY GARLIC & GREEN OLIVE PASTA
Recipes are an illusion. Gourmet Cooking doubly so. At least that's my story for now. There are no amounts for this recipe, thus the illusion. Quantities are constantly in flux when I prepare this for my family, depending on how much garlic I have, how many olives I feel like chopping, whether I remembered to buy Parmesan cheese yesterday, and what shoes I'm wearing. Not too long after we married, my husband and I really got into watching "The Frugal Gourmet" on PBS. On one of the first shows we watched, Jeff Smith prepared this dish. I practically freaked out trying to write this down, since I had not yet learned my laid-back, pinch o' this, handful o' that way of cooking. He was just tossing things in the pan! How can you COOK like that? (Just fine, thankyouverymuch) At that time I was trying to make myself into a gourmet cook, so I bought the whole green olives and pitted them myself. I bought the wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano that played havoc with the week's grocery money, grating it over the top, with my own freshly Band-Aid-ed fingers, just before serving. I got over it. Nowadays, I just have fun in the kitchen, and we manage to eat pretty well, gourmet cook or no. So, here it is, the way I make it now. More or less.
Provided by ThatBobbieGirl
Categories Lunch/Snacks
Time 30m
Yield 1 pot
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Put on a big pot of water to boil.
- Pick out your pasta, cook it al dente and keep it hot You can use spaghetti, capellini, vermicelli, or linguini, whatever you prefer.
- After you've made this once, and you know how long it takes for you to make the sauce, you make everything come up ready at the same time.
- Get some green olives.
- Any kind you want, really.
- I just get a bottle of cheap salad olives.
- There are usually a lot of pimento pieces floating around in there.
- We like the color, but I'm afraid the ol' Frugal Gourmet would NOT approve.
- You can get a bit fancier if you want.
- Chop up the olives a bit, not tiny.
- Next the garlic.
- OK, you HAVE to use fresh for this, no powder, not even the jar of pre-chopped.
- Those are okay for some things, and I do use them often.
- However, if you use anything other than fresh garlic in this recipe, you will not be impressed, and you will never make this again.
- I will weep.
- Don't do that to me.
- Take your fresh garlic clove, wrap it in that flat rubber disc you use to open jars.
- Just roll it up in there, then roll it back and forth on the countertop a few times.
- Unwrap it, and the peel should be off or mostly off.
- Do this with lots of garlic cloves.
- LOTS.
- At least a couple per person you're feeding.
- Slice the garlic, but not too thinly.
- In a hot non-stick sauté pan, put a little olive oil, the fresh sliced garlic and a lot of chopped green olives.
- Be generous.
- A handful per person is a good start.
- Sauté the garlic and olives just a bit, being careful not to let the garlic brown, or it may become bitter.
- Add some light cream, and bring to a simmer.
- Cook over low heat until the liquid has been reduced by almost half, and it is thick, stirring very often.
- Pour this over the hot pasta, sprinkle generously with parmesan, chopped parsley (fresh is best, but I usually only have dried) and black pepper, preferably fresh from the pepper mill.
- Toss.
- Serve immediately.
- Bow.
- But be humble.
Are you curently on diet or you just want to control your food's nutritions, ingredients? We will help you find recipes by cooking method, nutrition, ingredients...
Check it out »
You'll also love
Hate Looser
[email protected]I can't wait to make this pasta again!
Odwa Mclean
[email protected]This pasta is perfect for a special occasion or a weeknight meal.
Tshwaro Gailele
[email protected]I like to serve this pasta with a side salad and crusty bread.
Violeta Cruz
[email protected]This pasta is a great way to use up leftover chicken or shrimp.
AHMED GULZAR
[email protected]The fresh basil really brightens up this pasta.
Rose Akinyi
[email protected]The green olives add a nice salty flavor to this pasta.
Yuri Briceno
[email protected]I love the creamy garlic sauce in this pasta. It's so rich and flavorful.
Tika Rai
[email protected]This is one of my favorite pasta recipes. It's so easy to make and always turns out delicious.
Abdul Manan
[email protected]I've made this pasta several times and it's always a hit with my family and friends.
SB Sobuj
[email protected]This pasta is so creamy and flavorful. I love the addition of green olives and basil.
Mekayla Sealie
[email protected]I'm not a big fan of green olives, but I really enjoyed this pasta.
Jaydenn Arzola
[email protected]This recipe is a keeper! The flavors are so well-balanced and the pasta is cooked to perfection.
ExecutiveMiner
[email protected]I love how easy this dish is to make. It's perfect for a weeknight meal.
Jastina Hamal
[email protected]This pasta is incredible! The combination of creamy garlic sauce, green olives, and fresh basil is perfect. I will definitely be making this again and again.