Aglio Olio Pascua
Recipe By: Leo Pascua
Serves 6
Leo Pascua’s recipe for Aglio Olio calls for 30-40 cloves of garlic. It’s definitely a dish for garlic lovers! This classic Italian dish combines simple ingredients. The garlic and red pepper flake simmer slowly in oil while the pasta is cooking on a back burner. We have prepared the basic version with some suggestions for optional additions from blanched vegetables to more exotic ingredients like Bagoong Philippine fish sauce, a nod to Leo’s Filipino heritage. After the garlic sauce is done simmering, remove from the heat, add shrimp at this stage and cover. See cook’s notes below.
Cook’s notes from Leo Pascua:
“Over time, our family's taste has tripled, no, quadrupled the amount of garlic. Do not over brown (burn) the garlic, which will become bitter. Adding the shrimp and covering turns the pans into a low oven with surrounding residual ambient heat from the pan and burner, to prevent the shrimp from toughening, which can occur with direct heating.”
Ingredients:
1 lb spaghetti
40 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Philippine Bagoong – fermented fish or shrimp paste (optional)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (optional)
3 cups broccoli florets, blanched (optional)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Directions:
1. Start pasta, cooking pasta to al dente
2. Assemble sauce using a stainless steel pan and wooden spoon. Lightly brown garlic, red pepper and (shrimp paste-optional) in olive oil, until spoon catches slightly on the bottom of the pan. Toss in shrimp and broccoli, turn off heat and cover while pasta is completing
3. Drain the pasta. Using the water to heat a large mixing bowl and plates. In the large mixing bowl, toss the pasta with sauce. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow pasta to absorb some of the sauce. Serve in the warmed plates with generous amounts of grated parmesan cheese.
***Dr. Leo Pascua is a pediatrician who grew up on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Pascua is a member of Wahiawa United Methodist Church where he has been the choir director for almost 30 years. Leo loves to cook and has a special room in his home to display his vast collection of cookbooks.
For more favorite United Methodist recipes, visit UMC.org/OurUMTable or our page on Pinterest.
This video was produced by United Methodist Communications in Nashville, TN. Contact is Lilla Marigza.
This video was first posted on July 20, 2020.
