Josephine’s Pasta with Garlic & Olive oil- Aglio e Oglio
Josephine’s Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil)
“Ah-lee-oh eh oh-lee-oh”
Some of my favorite memories were the simplest ones, and this recipe brings me right back to our family table.
My mother, Josephine, made this pasta whenever we wanted something comforting, quick, and full of flavor. It didn’t take fancy ingredients, just spaghetti, lots of fresh garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and love. But somehow, it always tasted like the best meal in the world.
This was one of my grandfather’s absolute favorite dishes. My father’s father could eat plate after plate of this pasta. And of course, it was never served alone. There was always a big loaf of fresh Italian bread sitting on the table and enough Pecorino Romano cheese to cover every single strand of spaghetti. Honestly… I think our family has a slight obsession with Pecorino Romano cheese!
This classic Italian dish comes from Naples and is known as Spaghetti Aglio e Olio.
Aglio means garlic.
Olio means extra virgin olive oil.
Peperoncino refers to the crushed red pepper flakes that many Italians add for a little heat.
Pronounced:
“Ah-lee-oh eh oh-lee-oh.”
My mother always reminded us of one important rule…
DON’T BURN THE GARLIC!
Garlic should slowly turn a light golden color, releasing the most incredible aroma. Burn it, and you’ve lost the magic.
As soon as the pasta hit the skillet with the garlic and olive oil, we’d all gather around the kitchen waiting for dinner. Mom would toss everything together with a little of the starchy pasta water until it became silky and coated every strand of spaghetti.
Then came the best part…
A mountain of freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese.
And you know what else?
ITALIAN BREAD!
Because every Italian knows that bread is meant for soaking up every last drop of that garlicky olive oil left on the plate.
We made this recipe all the time growing up.
And once everyone started eating…
All you could hear was the slurping and the spaghetti flying past everybody’s cheeks at 90 miles an hour!
Nobody was talking.
Everybody was too busy eating.
Those are the memories I treasure most… simple food, a table full of family, lots of laughter, and recipes that remind us that the greatest ingredients have always been love and time spent together.
This recipe is in her cookbook
Every step, her photograph of it, and the person in the family it came from. It is not anywhere else on this site.
Want to try her cooking first?
Two of her recipes are free, and they are not in the book. Put in your email and she sends you both.
Get 2 recipes free
