A month ago, on the eve of my final exams, I thought I’d discovered the ultimate comfort food/midnight meal. I had tweeted about the same to realize that the prospect of whipping up something slurp-worthy and delicious in under 15 minutes caught a lot of people’s fancy.
The only thing I was worried about was whether this dish would justify the hype I created around it, and taste just as exciting every time I made some. The recipe did call for just 3 main ingredients.
But I’m extremely happy to announce, that I’ve made this atleast 5 times since, and believe you me, this recipe knocks my socks off every time.
There is something about the honesty and simplicity of the flavours which keeps you wanting more.
I give to you, Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil a.k.a Spaghetti Al Limone.
Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil / Spaghetti Al Limone
Serves : 1, who is in need of instant gratification.
Difficulty : Easy Peasy. When that MS fellow in Amreeka can make it too, why can’t you?
Preparation Time : 7-10 minutes.
Cook Time : 2-5 minutes
Ingredients
- 75g-100g of Spaghetti
- 2-3 medium sized Garlic pods
- 2 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Juice of half a Lemon
- Small block of Cheese
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Start off by letting your Spaghetti loose in a big pot of water, and cook it according to its packet instructions.
This ideally takes 5 to 7 odd minutes.
Once the spaghetti is almost cooked, fish out a pan and pour in the olive oil.
Without putting it on the flame, grate in the garlic.
Once the garlic is in, we turn on the flame. Let it be at the lowest possible flame. We just want to warm up the oil so it infuses the garlic flavour. Burning the garlic isn’t really our thing. (I learnt it the hard way)
Once the garlic at the sides start getting a reddish tinge, you’re done. Turn of the flame.
Drain your spaghetti (which should be cooked by now), and add it into this same pan. Its fine if its not completely drained and brings a bit of the pasta water along with it. In fact, a tiny bit of the pasta water is preferred!
With a fork, mix the spaghetti with the garlic and the oil at the bottom of the pan. So that the oil coats all the pasta nicely.
At this stage, a wonderful garlic-olive oil scent will hit you. You’ll be convinced something good is up.
Now, it is as simple as
- squeezing in the juice of half a lemon
- grating in the cheese (amount is subjected to your fancy)
- a pinch of salt and a good helping of pepper
Fork it all up, so the cheese spreads uniformly.
Give it a little taste. Check if the seasoning needs fixing.
And then, grate in some more cheese.
Because, well admit it. Its more fun that way.
Once it is all mixed up, plate up yo.
Garnish with a sprinkle of some coriander or parsley. And a small helping of freshly ground pepper.
And you’re done. In 12 minutes.
Now all that remains is for you to crash on your couch, turn the volume of the television up, and dig your fork into this deliciously comforting plate of spaghetti.
The sudden bites of cheese, subtle hits of garlic and sharp kicks of lemon will make you swoon.
Hello Monday Night Blues. You’ve been eliminated.
