Olive Oil & Garlic Pasta with a Romaine Tomato Salad
Sometimes when it's been a long day and we're exhausted, a simple classic dish is what hits the spot. Dinner doesn't always have to be complicated or involve lengthy periods of time in the kitchen. Some of the best dishes we enjoy, are the classic comforting recipes that bring us an enormous amount of pleasure.
There's something to be said for the saying, K.I.S.S. Keep it simple silly : D
A refreshing chopped romaine lettuce salad is not only healthy but a great source of nourishment. Add slices of fresh tomatoes and chopped green onion to add vibrancy and color. Sprinkle with dried oregano, a bit of fresh cracked black pepper for a blast of extra flavor. Dress with simple lemon juice or a reduced calorie Italian dressing.
Voila, in just a few minutes, your salad is ready to go...er, um...eat : D
While making the salad, have a pot of well salted water heating on the stove for pasta. When it reaches a boil, add pasta (when the pasta is in your hand, each diameter of pasta the size of a quarter, feeds two) and cook until al dente.
Boil pasta with 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
When done...drain pasta, set aside. You can reserve some of the pasta water to add later to your sauce.
While your pasta is cooking. In a large pan, melt a few tablespoons of unsalted butter with an equal amount of extra virgin olive oil. Add 4 grated cloves of fresh garlic and a sprinkle of fresh cracked black pepper.
Once butter is melted and garlic has toasted only long enough to smell fragrant (1-2 minutes/don't allow it to burn), add pasta to the pan and toss well to mix.
You can now add a small amount of the pasta water if you want to help all the ingredients blend well together, and coat all of the pasta well. Add small amounts at a time until you're happy with the consistency.
This pasta is packed full of flavor, I promise you won't miss the heavy cream sauce or the equally lovely tomato based sauces we get so used to eating with our pasta. Here the pasta is the star, not the sauce...the way the Italians meant it to be : ) Not that they don't love their sauce! Fuhgeddaboudit!
Plate and serve : )
You can garnish with fresh grated Parmesan if you like...I skipped it this time
which is something we very rarely do...it was delicious!
What is Fuhgeddaboudit?
What is Fuhgeddaboudit?
