It’s the weeknight winner you know and love, just a bit greener
It’s the weeknight winner you know and love, just a bit greener
Growing up, my family ate a lot of spaghetti aglio e olio—a simple pasta dish consisting of olive oil, garlic, and sometimes chiles—except we just called it “garlic pasta.” This was a meal we ate when my parents were feeling lazy, or when there was almost no food left in the house, and it was always popular with me and my sister. Over time, my dad began to riff on this staple by topping the pasta with a mountain of crumbled feta cheese and a healthy sprinkle of parsley for a fresher, greener, cheesier twist. I still frequently enjoy my family’s version of aglio e olio, but now I’ve done a bit of my own experimenting. Recently I made the dish with several bundles of lightly caramelized scallions in place of garlic, and I may even prefer this greener version.
It’s important to keep the scallions in large pieces—about an inch long—so that they retain some texture and don’t simply melt into the sauce. Scallions may be piquant when raw, but when they are allowed to caramelize and turn lightly golden brown, it mellows the allium flavor and brings out sweeter notes. The trick is to cook the scallions undisturbed for a few minutes, to help kick-start the browning process. Toward the end of cooking, I also stir in some finely chopped serrano chiles for a slow-burning hit of spice. A jarred Calabrian chile would be more traditional, if you can find one, though a bird’s eye chile would also work well.
This dish has the potential to be very, well, oily—it calls for one-third of a cup of olive oil. In order to turn all that oil into a glossy sauce, you’ll need a healthy splash of reserved pasta water—at least half a cup. When the starchy water is tossed with the oil and pasta, the fat and water emulsify to create a viscous, velvety sauce that coats the pasta and the scallions. Since oil and water don’t like to mix, you have to stir or toss the two vigorously to encourage them to join forces. It’s also key to serve this dish right away—the delicate sauce will soon become absorbed by the pasta, so toss in the feta cheese and parsley and serve immediately. Once on the table, it’s not likely to last long anyway.