Aglio e Olio (with shrimp)

Tucci Benucch at the Mall of America used to have this delicious spaghetti garlic shrimp dish. Crazy good. It was one of those dishes where I didn't need to look at the menu (and let me tell you, I like looking at menus. I like to read about every dish) because I knew what I was ordering. That dish is no longer on the menu and I haven't been to Tucci Benucch since. Screw you Tucci.

Anyways, I love shrimp, I love garlic, I love pasta. I've been cooking these things together for a while. I've been trying to recreate that spaghetti garlic shrimp and this recipe is one of the attempts. The search continues (a promising lead for next time, two words: Parmesan broth. Ooh, broth!) but it was tasty nonetheless. I took the Algio e Olio recipe from my America's Test Kitchen cookbook (supposedly a classic Italian dish, simply garlic and olive oil) and sauteed some shrimp to go with it.

Even though I doubled checked the amount of red pepper flakes, this dish was waaaay spicy. I would suggest cutting it down. Also, be sure not to burn the garlic. The book was very specific about this. If you follow their "low and slow" method, you'll be fine.

My notes:
1. Less red pepper flakes.
2. I used a whole bulb of garlic.
3. Saute 1 pound shrimp and add to cooked garlic mixture.
4. I forgot to reserve 1 tablespoon raw garlic to add at the end, so all of mine was cooked.
5. I used dried parsley as I didn't have fresh stuff.


Aglio e Olio

6 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
12 garlic cloves, minced (4 tablespoons)
Salt
1 pound spaghetti
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoons red pepper flakes
grated Parmesan cheese (for serving)

1. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot for the spaghetti.

2. Meanwhile, cook 3 tablespoons of the oil, 3 tablespoons of the garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over low heat, stirring often, until the garlic foams and is sticky and straw-colored, about 10 minutes.

3. When the water is boiling, stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the spaghetti. Cook, stirring often, until the pasta is almost tender but still a little firm to the bite.

4. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the spaghetti and return it to the pot.

5. Stir the parsley, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, remaining 1 tablespoon garlic, and 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking water into the cooked garlic.

6. Stir the garlic mixture into the spaghetti and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the remaining pasta cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce before serving. Serve, passing the Parmesan separately.

To dress up this recipe at bit, sprinkle the pasta with toasted fresh breadcrumbs before serving.