Pasta with Parsley, Garlic, and Olive Oil or Alio e Olio

(Tossing pasta with olive oil, garlic, and parsley.)

As a young chap, I lived with my grandparents in the typical "Everyone Loves Raymond" environment; that is to say, my parents lived on the second floor apartment of a two family home while my grandparents occupied the first floor apartment.  On most Saturday afternoons I would wander down to my grandparents place and receive a boatful of kisses and the eternal question, "what do you want to eat for lunch?"  And my answer would always be, "Nonna, you know what I like, can I please have Pasta Alio e Olio!" - picture a small boy with a Beatles type bowl haircut and deep brown eyes. 

In honor of my grandmother and our shared love for pasta here's a class pasta dish recipe (for two servings):

1. 1/4 pound of dried pasta - linguine or linguine fini works nice for this dish (preferably De Cecco; pleaese do not buy dry pasta manufactured in the US or make fresh pasta for this dish, it will not work).
   
   
2. Freshly chopped parsley (I'm not sure why markets sell non-Italian parsley, but make sure you buy Italian parsley).
   
   
3. Freshly chopped garlic (5-6 cloves).
   
   
4. 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano - the king of cheeses.
   
   
5. Salt and pepper to taste.
   
   
6. A sprinkle of dried red pepper flakes.
   
   
7. Olive Oil (you can use Extra Virgin Olive Oil if you'd like; my grandmother would combine corn oil and olive oil because Extra Virgin Olive Oil was expensive in the late seventies - mid eighties).

The preparation is fairly straightforward:  Get a large pot of water boiling and drop the linguine into the pot.  Add a bit of salt and stir (linguine usually takes between 7-10 minutes, but go for the shorter cooking time as pasta should always be served al dente).  And no need to waste olive oil in the water as it will NOT prevent sticking (the best way to prevent sticking pasta is to have enough water in the pot).

While the pasta cooks, add olive oil to a lukewarm pan and add garlic (slowly sautéing).  Add salt and pepper.  Add you red pepper flakes.  Drain the pasta and save a bit of the starchy water.  Add the pasta to the saute pan (which should have a flame going) along with the parsley and mix well (at this point either add a bit more olive oil or some of the pasta water, I usually do both).  Use kitchen tongues to work or mix te pasta in the saute pan. 

Finally, add the cheese and mix one more time.  Plate the pasta and add a little bit more cheese (oh, try and grate the cheese fresh as it will make a big difference in flavor, it's the same principle with grinding coffee beans before brewing).  The dish is simple, classic, and real southern Italian comfort food.