Monday, May 16, 2011

Aglio Olio- Easy Comfort Food

I have to credit Rachael Ray's show "30 Minute Meals" for really getting me to love cooking. I started watching her as a young newlywed- over 8 years ago. I would watch her show, figure I could make whatever she was, then go try it on my own. Not everything turned out great, but I started to learn how to cook, and learning to love cooking. I don't use a lot of her recipes anymore, since most contain a lot of cheese or milk, but I am thankful for her cookbooks, and for her cooking show.

I believe that cooking is something that is personal and everyone develops their own styles. Over the years my style has changed- especially since our change to all Dairy Free. But some recipes remain favorites- the following is one of those.
I first learned how to make Aglio Olio from "30 Minute Meals". I have changed it a lot over the 8 years I have been making this, but the method remains the same. I have permanently omitted the anchovies- the girls would not like that flavor at all. And I have added different veggies depending on the time of year, and what I have on hand. What I love about this recipe is I always have the ingredients on hand for a simple Aglio Olio. This is good no matter the season- I love it in the winter paired with a crusty bread and a glass of Merlot, or in the summer with a salad and a glass of Pino Grigio or Riesling.

I am sharing the recipe I used the other night, but please change it to fit your tastes. If you do, let me know what you add to it.

Ingredients:
Linguine noodles (Or pasta of your choice)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil- a few tablespoons
Dairy free margarine- a tablespoon
4-6 cloves Garlic- minced or pressed with a garlic press
2 fresh tomatoes- diced (in the winter I used canned)
1 lb fresh asparagus (in winter I use frozen)
1/2-1 bag fresh baby spinach
fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste



Directions:
Boil your linguine according to the directions on the package.
While pasta is boiling, steam the asparagus until bright green, but still crisp. I do this in about a half inch of water in the saute pan. When the asparagus is done, I drain the water.


Remove asparagus and chop into large pieces.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add dairy free margarine to the heated oil (if desired- you can choose to omit this and just add a little extra oil.)

Add the minced garlic to the pan, letting it cook for a minute. Add the asparagus, tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Let cook until the tomatoes start to soften.


At this point I added some fresh basil I have been growing in my garden.

I rolled it, chopped it into long thin pieces, and added it to the veggies.

Once the pasta is done, add the spinach- it only takes a couple minutes to cook down.
Start with this:


And you end up with this in just a couple minutes:


Once the spinach is cooked down, add your pasta:

Combine well, and let cook for a minute or two.

I have added white wine to this before as well, but I only do that when I am making for my husband and me, not as a family meal.

However, this was my cooking buddy:


I did not get a good picture of it once it was served up.

There are so many changes you could make to this: add red pepper flakes to the oil before you add the veggies, add different veggies, add shrimp (I'm allergic to shrimp so I don't add it), whatever you choose. This is a great quick week night meal, or a simple movie night meal. Whatever you do with it, whenever you have it, I hope you enjoy it!

4 comments:

  1. Mmmm so simple, but looks so good!!

    Great recipe!

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  2. Thanks! It is super simple and there are so many ways to change it and add to it. One of the first things I learned how to cook, and it's still a go-to recipe for us. Broccoli is also great in it- with a little lemon juice added to the oil and butter.

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  3. You know what is one of my favorite things about your food blog that also sets it head and shoulders above the others - your food photography! They really add a lot to your blog and how to cook your recipes.

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  4. Thanks Rose! That compliment really means a lot! I take pictures of everything and I do, and actually I don't have a fancy camera at all- I use our Canon PowerShot. I would like to take some photography lessons in the future though. I actually have a couple friends who are photographers and have thought about asking them. Thanks so much for this- it made my day!

    ReplyDelete