This month’s feature recipe comes from Paolo Lavalle of Frall Foods!
A few words from Paolo: This is an extremely popular dish and a staple in any Italian’s diet! Pasta Alio e Olio translates to Pasta Garlic & Oil. Of course, the quality of the garlic determines how great this will taste.
What you need:
500g long noodle pasta
10 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2-5 cloves of garlic sliced
1 chilli pepper sliced (optional)
Dried garlic
Dried chillies (optional)
Fresh parsley (chopped)
Optional ½ cup of:
What to do:
In a large pot begin making your spaghetti/angel hair/ linguini pasta. Any noodle works, the long ones just work best. Then in a small pot (1-2 lt) add olive oil and allow to heat. Add garlic shortly after. It should not sizzle when added. Sprinkle in a pinch of dried garlic and add any of the optional ingredients. They can all be added or substituted with other items. This recipe really is quite versatile. Stir everything together and on the lowest heat allow to simmer for about 4-5 minutes or until the garlic has turned a golden brown. Just before draining the pasta, take out a mugs worth of the water that the pasta was boiled in and set aside. Drain the pasta and put back into the pot. Add your olive oil and garlic mixture to the pasta pot. Turn on low heat and slowly add in about an ounce of pasta water at a time until all is well mixed. You want to have an oily/saucy consistency but not have the pasta sticking together. Serve with chopped parsley sprinkled on top!
About Paolo Lavalle:
Upon first working at a restaurant at age 15, I quickly realized that food was definitely a life path for me. Food became an obsession, and I started educating myself on the best techniques in the industry. After graduating from Humber College in Hospitality Management and studying gastronomics and regional cooking in Italy, I started organic farming in Ontario. Once I started farming with an amazing team and unbelievable mentors I knew that I had found the right path for me. Living in one of the most agriculturally productive areas in Canada, it was clear that I needed to focus on growing food to see if I could one day realise my goal of having my own sustainable restaurant. After the life changing summer of farming, I was lucky enough to have the capacity to start Frall Foods. While still in our infancy we have fed countless families organic produce from our farm, as well as having a prepared food line and local farm to fork catering projects. We also donate several thousand dollars worth of fresh local organic produce to various social programs in the GTA. Getting to where I am today was only made possible by the few amazing individuals with whom I have been lucky enough to meet and form great relationships. Farming has been the single greatest step in my food journey and I continue to love it more everyday!
Follow Paolo:
http://frallfoods.weebly.com/
https://www.facebook.com/frallfoods/
@FrallFoods
This post is part of the The Cutting Veg Seasonal Recipe Series, featuring recipes to make with local, seasonal produce
Daniel Hoffmann
(647) 388-7444
daniel@thecuttingveg.com