When I was a kid, spaghetti was always bloated and soft, served with runny spaghetti sauce in the school hot lunch line. I didn't care for it much. It wasn't until adulthood that I learned the terms 'al dente and 'marinara' and about the enormous variety of pasta sauces in the world. Occasionally I would see 'Spaghetti aglio e olio' on the menu at a restaurant and would wonder, why on earth would anyone eat pasta with just garlic and olive oil when you can have creamy Alfredo or a spicy Arrabiata?
Then one day, when I was in my early 20s and not long after I had moved to Southern California, my California cousins introduced me to the wonderful dish that is pasta simply dressed with olive oil, salt, garlic and sautéed bell peppers. I should take a moment to introduce you to my Cali-cousins. They are two sisters (and a brother, but he doesn't cook much) who are strict vegetarians but make the most wonderful vegetarian meals. My one cousin makes a fantastic tofu scramble that will have you swearing off eggs for breakfast. They introduced me to cooking with avocadoes and eggplant, which I had eaten but had never tried cooking with them before. You never miss the meat when you eat a meal at their homes.
This spaghetti dish is very simple but sooo delicious.
Spaghetti e Olio with Bell Peppers and Onions
- Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.
- While the pasta is boiling, slice up some different colored bell peppers and onions.
- Sautée the vegetables in a generous amount of olive oil and salt over med-high heat until just starting to get tender and browned.
- When the pasta is done, drain thoroughly then mix into the frying pan with with vegetables.
- Sprinkle on some fresh or dried herbs. I like basil.
- Sautée over med-high heat until everything is heated through and the flavors have had a chance to combine. (You may need to add more olive oil if the pasta is too dry.)
- Remove from heat and serve.
Many of my California friends went to school up in Northern California, at a small private college located in wine country. They would frequently rave about a pasta dish that was served at Boskos, a popular eatery in Calistoga, that is loaded with chunks of garlic. The dish is called Glorioso and they reeked of garlic for days after eating it but no one seemed to mind. One summer I finally made it up to Boskos and had the Glorioso for myself and yep, they weren't kidding. It had almost as many chunks of creamy, roasted garlic as it did pasta shells. So good!
Spaghetti e Olio with Garlic and Mushrooms
I always like to have some protein with my meals, especially when it is carb-heavy as in the case of these two pasta dishes. I made AB's Buffalo wings (which I blogged about here), which added a spicy kick to the otherwise mild meal.
The Results
The Geek pronounced everything to be delicious but particularly enjoyed the crispiness of the Buffalo wings and the garlicky-ness of the garlic mushroom pasta.
Ratings
- Difficulty: Easy
- Time to prepare: An hour for the wings, 20 minutes for the pasta
- Prognosis: Will definitely be making these dishes again
My Shopping List
- Bell peppers: $3.98
- Mushrooms: $2.69
- Bananas: $2.53*
- Oranges: $1.28*
- Apples: $4.10*
The Tally
The day's tally: $$14.58
Total this week so far: $29.19
Total this month, to date: $65.19
P.S.
* Kids are coming home tomorrow so I need to stock up on fruit.
The cost of eating out this weekend came from my "Vacation" budget, not my "Grocery" budget. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
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