Great Garlicky Goodness Pasta!

 

Great Garlicky Goodness Pasta!!!

I love garlic. I love pasta. I think bacon should be a food group (I'm almost not kidding). I love fresh herbs.  Let's put them all together with some pasta, shall we? 

Technically, this pasta dish may take about twenty or so minutes of prep work. Longer if you peel the garlic yourself.  I bought the garlic pre-peeled, along with a bunch of small scallions - not the thick ones - and chopped them easily. You could buy scallions and red onions pre-chopped at your local grocer if you choose to. Just thought I'd throw in some tips for time savers. 

This is a fun pasta to make and the flavors will drive your senses mad with happiness. If you know someone who does not like garlic, this is not the dish for them! Well, unless you really do not like them.  Vampires might not enjoy it, either. But everyone else on the Earth-shaped planet will love it! Let's get on with it. 😋

Ingredients

1/2 cup finely chopped bacon or, pancetta

6-oz+ peeled garlic cloves

1 box pasta (your choice)

1/4 cup finely chopped Flat Leaf Italian Parsley

1/2 cup finely chopped thin scallions, whites and greens

4 tablespoons+ extra virgin olive oil + 1/4 cup

1 cup of butter (your favorite)*

3 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped red onions

2/3 cup grated Parmesan 

6 leaves fresh basil (for garnish)

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, if you like)

*Pinches of dry spices:  thyme, oregano, basil

Preheat the oven to 425-degrees F

In a small pan or glass baking/roasting dish, add 6+ ounces of peeled garlic cloves.  Add a quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil (or a little less, if you choose), a good pinch of red pepper flakes, a pinch of dry thyme, oregano and basil to the garlic. Use a wooden spoon or a spatula or, your best kitchen tools, your hands, to coat the garlic and mix the spices thoroughly.  Place in the oven for 25 - 35 minutes. Check 20 minutes in and use the spatula to turn the garlic as the bottom will be turning golden.  Golden is perfect. When the timer goes off, remove the container and allow to it to cool. 

As you can see, I let my garlic sit inside the oven a little too long. Still, the flavor was incredible!

*You can buy garlic butter at the grocery store if you do not want to roast the garlic cloves. I have had it and without the roasted garlic and I have to say, I love the roasted garlic. IF time is a problem, though, the store bought garlic butter is an option.

Now, in a blender/food processor, add the garlic, half of the scallions, half of the flat leaf Italian parsley, a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and 1/3 cup of Parmesan, and the cup of butter, process until smooth. Place the "compound butter" in a bowl and cool until it is time to toss it with the pasta. 

This is a good time to get on with your day.  Certainly, this part of the dish can be done even a day or two ahead of time! It can be frozen and used whenever you want to use it again (if you make enough). Just thought I'd throw that in there. 😉        

If you are going to continue on and finish the dish, bring four quarts of water to a roiling boil over high heat in a pot.  Liberally salt the water. Add just enough pasta to feed the number of hungry eaters you will be serving. This recipe can easily feed four. Boil the pasta for about 12 minutes.  Note, however, Angel Hair pasta does not take that long!  Smaller pasta, such as bowtie (farfalle), penne and rigatoni and the like, take a full 12 (twelve) minutes. Do the taste test after eight minutes. 

Bacon and Garlic and Herb butter is under the pasta, melting. 

There are two ways you can finish this dish.  Use a separate skillet or pot, or, strain the pasta and us

e the same pot. That is up to you.  I chose to use a separate pot (a wok, actually, as it is easier for me to toss pasta and coat it all with whatever sauce I have made). In this case, as you can see, above, I used my wok. 

I added a two tablespoons of evoo and the finely chopped bacon to the wok over medium-high heat. I added a pinch of dried thyme, oregano and basil. When the fat had rendered and the bacon broken up into little bits, I added a couple of hefty large spoon fulls of the garlic and herb butter.  I allowed the butter to melt, stirring to incorporate the bacon rendering and the bacon itself before adding the pasta.  

Add all of the remaining ingredients: red onion, the remainder of the parsley and scallions either on top of the pasta, or under it. Add another hefty spoon full of the garlic herb butter and use tongs to toss the pasta and coat all it with the butter. This may take a few minutes and an arm workout. It'll be well worth it in the end.  The aroma right now has to be making you want to eat it all by yourself of out the wok or pan, its That delicious!!!

Here's the pasta plated in bowls and garnished with fresh, finely chopped basil.  I think a couple of thinly sliced French or Sourdough bread would be well worth it to sop up any buttery sauce left over.  

With that, my gentle readers, this is my Great Garlicky Goodness Pasta.  I hope you have enjoyed this recipe.  Let me know what you think of it!

Now, Go Cook For Someone You Love and know that I am grateful for your visit and your time. 

~Martin

In-House Cook

The moon in the clouds last evening was truly beautiful. Not captured (though I really tried) was a bat circling the area.