Spaghetti Ajo & Ojo

"Pandora" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello folks.
My boyfriend Davide wanted strongly me to send you
this recipe of his. I'm sorry if this thread has been
covered before!!!

Pandora

----------------------------------------------------------

Spaghetti Ajo & Ojo
(pronunciation: something like "à:eeo & ò:eeo"😉
by Davide Pastore

This recipe is the "basic" pasta recipe. It's the first
recipe a bachelor learns after Mamma isn't around anymore.
Also, it's typical of midnight after-party meetings.

Exact name is "spaghetti aglio e olio" or, popularly,
"ajo e ojo" in the Rome dialect.

Ingredients are: spaghetti, oil, garlic, parsley and
hot chili pepper.

1. SPAGHETTI

The quality of the pasta heavily affects the quality
of the recipe. I'm sorry to tell you that I think we
do usually export a lower-quality product...

I don't know which firm you can find in your country.
IMHO, the better firms are:

1) De Cecco
2) Voiello
3) Agnesi
4) Barilla
5) Buitoni

Take a pot full of water, cover with the lid and warm it
until it boils. It is said that the more water, the better
(it has something to do with the loss of starch during the
cooking). I use about 3-4 litres (i.e. about 1 U.S. gallon)
of water when I do the cooking for myself, and 5-6 when I
have guests.

Add about 1 tablespoon of coarse salt.

When water boils, add the spaghetti (100-125 grams [i.e.
4-5 ozs.] per person).

The spaghetti should NOT!!! be broken, Aaaargh!!!, but
inserted as a whole. Don't mind if the water doesn't cover
all the height of them, they will soon soften. Cover the pot
with the lid (the pot should be large enough to permit the
closing while the spaghetti are in it) to facilitate the return
to boiling of water. When it boils again, remove lid.

I read somewhere that there is the american phrase "flabby
as spaghetti". I think there is a bit of confusion here.
While everyone has his own taste, in Italy the spaghetti are
definitely NOT flabby!!! The pasta has to be cooked "al dente"
(literally: "to the teeth"😉 that is: take out a single piece
of pasta from the boiling water and cut in two. You will note
that the interior is of a lighter colour than the exterior.
At the moment that all the interior is the same colour, the
pasta is cooked. The cooking time should be written on the
pasta box, but it's usually 5-6 minutes (Warning: after you
shut the gas, keeping the spaghetti into the hot water counts
as cooking time).

Now you have to spill the content of the bowl into a peculiar
kitchen-tool known here as "colapasta" (My dictionary thinks you
call it "colander for pasta"😉, conveniently rested inside the
sink. Vigorously shake the colapasta to let all the water going
out, and put spaghetti into the dishes.

While the pasta was boiling, you were preparing the sauce.

2. OIL

The oil has to be an olive one. No substitute whatsoever.

Again, I don't know which kind of oil you can find.
Best Italian oil firms are:

1) Carapelli
2) Bertolli
3) Dante

Assuming you can find an Italian oil, you will find one of
these three phrases on the bottle:

1) Olio di Oliva
2) Olio di Oliva, Vergine
3) Olio di Oliva, Extra-Vergine

The (3) is the good one, the (2) is the production waste/rubbish,
the (1) is the waste of the waste.

I do know Spain produces some fine oil, but I don't know their
classification.

Quantity is at will, from half a tablespoon to two tablespoons
per person.

There are two schools of thought about the oil: raw or cooked.
I personally prefer the raw version, but 90% of italians do the
other way.

For the raw version, just add all ingredients to the spaghetti
in the dishes. For the cooked version, put the oil in a little
pot with the garlic and the hot chili pepper and fry them JUST
A LITTLE. Check the colour of garlic. Correct italian verb is
"imbiondire" ("let them get blond"😉. Do NOT burn the ingredients
or the taste will be very very poor.

2. GARLIC

Usual quantity is about a clove per person. Remove the external,
open the clove and cut away the little green part (we call it
"anima", i.e. "soul"😉 which has a bitter taste. Cut in pieces.

Some people use garlic only to flavour the oil without actually
eating it, in which case it's better not cut in pieces the clove.

3. PARSLEY

There is an italian adage who says: "you're like the parsley",
meant to be a thing who can be found just everywhere. Parsley
comes in just any italian recipe short of desserts.

Best parsley is the fresh one (2nd choice, the dried one). Add
it to the spaghetti, at will. (Note: a school of thought is
actually contrary the use of parsley in this recipe)

4. HOT CHILI PEPPER

I called this way the vegetable used, but I don't know if it's
the very same thing. We call it "peperoncino". It'red, 5-10 cms
long, dried and very hot but refreshing.

Broke the hot chili pepper in little pieces (as everything above,
the quantity is at will) and put it in the oil with the garlic.
After the brief frying explained above, spill the oil (filtering
the ingredients, if you think you can't stand them) over the
spaghetti and eat.

Accompany with Italian wine.

A final note: an italian child learns to roll up the spaghetti
with the fork shortly after he has learnt to walk. Should not
be anymore difficult than handle those little wood pieces
Japaneses use to eat.

Buon appetito! (i.e., have a good meal!)

Davide

Re your:
<snip>Cover the pot
with the lid (the pot should be large enough to permit the
closing while the spaghetti are in it) to facilitate the return
to boiling of water. When it boils again, remove lid.<snip>

I learned a trick from my mother in law:
When it begins to boils again and you're pretty sure that by leaving the lid
on the water won't boil over onto the stove, LEAVE THE LID ON, BUT TURN OFF
THE HEAT (or take off the heat) until done. This works for me for spaghetti
as big as size No. 8. It doesn't always work for larger pastas, penne,
riggatoni, etc.
It gets done in the same amount of time -- I like al dente.
Dee

"Pandora" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello folks.
My boyfriend Davide wanted strongly me to send you
this recipe of his. I'm sorry if this thread has been
covered before!!!

Pandora

----------------------------------------------------------

Spaghetti Ajo & Ojo
(pronunciation: something like "à:eeo & ò:eeo"😉
by Davide Pastore

This recipe is the "basic" pasta recipe. It's the first
recipe a bachelor learns after Mamma isn't around anymore.
Also, it's typical of midnight after-party meetings.

Exact name is "spaghetti aglio e olio" or, popularly,
"ajo e ojo" in the Rome dialect.

Ingredients are: spaghetti, oil, garlic, parsley and
hot chili pepper.

1. SPAGHETTI

The quality of the pasta heavily affects the quality
of the recipe. I'm sorry to tell you that I think we
do usually export a lower-quality product...

I don't know which firm you can find in your country.
IMHO, the better firms are:

1) De Cecco
2) Voiello
3) Agnesi
4) Barilla
5) Buitoni

Take a pot full of water, cover with the lid and warm it
until it boils. It is said that the more water, the better
(it has something to do with the loss of starch during the
cooking). I use about 3-4 litres (i.e. about 1 U.S. gallon)
of water when I do the cooking for myself, and 5-6 when I
have guests.

Add about 1 tablespoon of coarse salt.

When water boils, add the spaghetti (100-125 grams [i.e.
4-5 ozs.] per person).

The spaghetti should NOT!!! be broken, Aaaargh!!!, but
inserted as a whole. Don't mind if the water doesn't cover
all the height of them, they will soon soften. Cover the pot
with the lid (the pot should be large enough to permit the
closing while the spaghetti are in it) to facilitate the return
to boiling of water. When it boils again, remove lid.

I read somewhere that there is the american phrase "flabby
as spaghetti". I think there is a bit of confusion here.
While everyone has his own taste, in Italy the spaghetti are
definitely NOT flabby!!! The pasta has to be cooked "al dente"
(literally: "to the teeth"😉 that is: take out a single piece
of pasta from the boiling water and cut in two. You will note
that the interior is of a lighter colour than the exterior.
At the moment that all the interior is the same colour, the
pasta is cooked. The cooking time should be written on the
pasta box, but it's usually 5-6 minutes (Warning: after you
shut the gas, keeping the spaghetti into the hot water counts
as cooking time).

Now you have to spill the content of the bowl into a peculiar
kitchen-tool known here as "colapasta" (My dictionary thinks you
call it "colander for pasta"😉, conveniently rested inside the
sink. Vigorously shake the colapasta to let all the water going
out, and put spaghetti into the dishes.

While the pasta was boiling, you were preparing the sauce.

2. OIL

The oil has to be an olive one. No substitute whatsoever.

Again, I don't know which kind of oil you can find.
Best Italian oil firms are:

1) Carapelli
2) Bertolli
3) Dante

Assuming you can find an Italian oil, you will find one of
these three phrases on the bottle:

1) Olio di Oliva
2) Olio di Oliva, Vergine
3) Olio di Oliva, Extra-Vergine

The (3) is the good one, the (2) is the production waste/rubbish,
the (1) is the waste of the waste.

I do know Spain produces some fine oil, but I don't know their
classification.

Quantity is at will, from half a tablespoon to two tablespoons
per person.

There are two schools of thought about the oil: raw or cooked.
I personally prefer the raw version, but 90% of italians do the
other way.

For the raw version, just add all ingredients to the spaghetti
in the dishes. For the cooked version, put the oil in a little
pot with the garlic and the hot chili pepper and fry them JUST
A LITTLE. Check the colour of garlic. Correct italian verb is
"imbiondire" ("let them get blond"😉. Do NOT burn the ingredients
or the taste will be very very poor.

2. GARLIC

Usual quantity is about a clove per person. Remove the external,
open the clove and cut away the little green part (we call it
"anima", i.e. "soul"😉 which has a bitter taste. Cut in pieces.

Some people use garlic only to flavour the oil without actually
eating it, in which case it's better not cut in pieces the clove.

3. PARSLEY

There is an italian adage who says: "you're like the parsley",
meant to be a thing who can be found just everywhere. Parsley
comes in just any italian recipe short of desserts.

Best parsley is the fresh one (2nd choice, the dried one). Add
it to the spaghetti, at will. (Note: a school of thought is
actually contrary the use of parsley in this recipe)

4. HOT CHILI PEPPER

I called this way the vegetable used, but I don't know if it's
the very same thing. We call it "peperoncino". It'red, 5-10 cms
long, dried and very hot but refreshing.

Broke the hot chili pepper in little pieces (as everything above,
the quantity is at will) and put it in the oil with the garlic.
After the brief frying explained above, spill the oil (filtering
the ingredients, if you think you can't stand them) over the
spaghetti and eat.

Accompany with Italian wine.

A final note: an italian child learns to roll up the spaghetti
with the fork shortly after he has learnt to walk. Should not
be anymore difficult than handle those little wood pieces
Japaneses use to eat.

Buon appetito! (i.e., have a good meal!)

Davide

Here's another way of doing this, that I do for 1/2 lb. of spaghetti
<snip>
Now you have to spill the content of the bowl into a peculiar
kitchen-tool known here as "colapasta" (My dictionary thinks you
call it "colander for pasta"😉, conveniently rested inside the
sink. Vigorously shake the colapasta to let all the water going
out, and put spaghetti into the dishes.<snip>

Since I always have to have someone around to pour this pot of hot water
into a colander that is in the sink, I use this method:
Holding over the pot a large round sieve, I use a stainless spaghetti spoon
to scoop the spaghetti into this large round sieve (easy with this spoon -
everyone who loves spaghetti should have one -- then I leave the sieve on
top of the pot dripping the last bit of water and thusly keeping the
spaghetti warm for a couple of minutes.
If I need the spaghetti pot to add the spaghetti back into the pot, this
holding of spaghetti in the large sieve seems handier than in a large
colander; however, my spaghetti colander is a large is
diameter/circumference as my sink.
Just another way of doing things.
Dee

On Sun 03 Jul 2005 02:08:26a, Pandora wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

Hello folks.
My boyfriend Davide wanted strongly me to send you
this recipe of his. I'm sorry if this thread has been
covered before!!!

Pandora

----------------------------------------------------------

Spaghetti Ajo & Ojo
(pronunciation: something like "…:eeo & •:eeo"😉
by Davide Pastore

Pandoro,

Thank you for posting a lovely recipe, explanation, and directions.

I've actually been making something like this on my own for many years, but
it never had a name. <grin> Davide has given it a name and very complete
information for anyone who would enjoy making this.

Thanks for posting!

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

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Dee Randall said:

I always have to have someone around to pour this pot of hot water
into a colander that is in the sink.

Um, just gonna leave us hanging... aren't you going to tell us why... I
mean I might be missing out on some helpful hint. If it's personal
secret you're embarrassed about why mention it at all?

Sheldon

"Sheldon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dee Randall said:

I always have to have someone around to pour this pot of hot water
into a colander that is in the sink.

Um, just gonna leave us hanging... aren't you going to tell us why... I
mean I might be missing out on some helpful hint. If it's personal
secret you're embarrassed about why mention it at all?

Sheldon

Not embarrassed, just didn't want to bore anyone about health problems.
Probably should have framed by wording a little better so as to not created
this 'secret.' But since you asked, breast cancer with lymph-node dissection
left me with some arm lifting restrictions. I've been to physical therapy
years, and it's the best it's gonna be. That's all. My overall health is
excellent.
(Spouse still has to pour heavy pot of water into the sink, but I don't have
to have him waiting around to pour the pot of hot water out at just the
exact al-dente time.)
But, I think this is a good tip for those who don't like pouring a big pan
of hot water from stove-to-sink.
Dee

Pandora said:

Hello folks.
My boyfriend Davide wanted strongly me to send you
this recipe of his. I'm sorry if this thread has been
covered before!!!

Pandora

Garlic pasta! one of my favourites

However, [rolling eyes] the following statement....

Quoted message said:

2. OIL

The oil has to be an olive one. No substitute whatsoever.

I have to take exception to. At the risk of being shunned by this news
group for the rank heresy it is, i do not like olive oil, preferring
canola in general and grape seed, walnut, avocado, peanut or sesame oil
for specific recipes. Grape seed oil & beef, enough said!

I have gone to olive oil tastings at a local Italian deli, and have made
a serious attempt to appreciate olive oil but i just cant, foul tasting
stuff if you were to ask me, i think it is an acquired taste.

Fully half of the oils i buy go into making vinaigrettes for salad. And
i have thrown away on 3 seperate occasions a vinaigrette made with olive
oil as simply un (or is it 'in'?) edible. The 4th time i was about to
try again to make an olive oil salad dressing i remembered how much i
disliked it the 3 previous times and have so far refrained from doing
so, again.

For many year i did not put salt in my salad dressing, i rarely put it
on or in anything, but upon reviewing Julia Child's French vinaigrette i
have started putting just a tiny pinch in my vinaigrette, to really
worth mentioning results
---
Joseph Littleshoes

Pandora said:

I don't know which firm you can find in your country.
IMHO, the better firms are:

1) De Cecco
2) Voiello
3) Agnesi
4) Barilla
5) Buitoni

Thanks for the recipe, Davide

I know for sure I can get Barilla and De Cecco at my local grocery
store, in fact have a them on hand right now. Buitoni seems
familar.... hmm. Now that I looked, did you know Buitoni is American?
Their parent company is Del Monte! In fact I can buy fresh Buitoni
products from the refrigerator section of my local grocery.

I also have some Bella Italia dried tortellini and Maltagliatati
Gemelli on hand.

Do you have a favorite recipe to post using Gemelli?

Ciao!

Joseph Littleshoes said:

Quoted message said:

The oil has to be an olive one. No substitute whatsoever.

OK. I understand that, as you didn't taste olive oil since childehood
(as any Mediterranean child does) , you don't like it!
In the same way, I DON'T like avocade oil & C.
Sorry.
Cheers
Pandora

sf said:

Thanks for the recipe, Davide

I know for sure I can get Barilla and De Cecco at my local grocery
store, in fact have a them on hand right now. Buitoni seems
familar.... hmm. Now that I looked, did you know Buitoni is American?
Their parent company is Del Monte! In fact I can buy fresh Buitoni
products from the refrigerator section of my local grocery.

I also have some Bella Italia dried tortellini and Maltagliatati
Gemelli on hand.

Nooo!!!! "Bella Italia" is not a good pasta!!!!

Quoted message said:

Do you have a favorite recipe to post using Gemelli?

Yes. Gemelli With tomatoes and cheese.
You can make a tomatoe sauce: put oil and onions and hot chili pepper in a
sauce pan till onions are blond. Then put tomatoes and basil or origan and
cook for about 15 - 20 minutes.
At the end put in the tomatos sauce some black and broken olives.
Meanwhile you prepare some cheese (something like emmenthal or gruyére)
cutted in little cubes in a dish.
When the pasta is almost ready (2-3 minutes before), strain it and put in
the sauce pan. Add the cubes of cheese and mix until they melt.
Cheers
Pandora
Pandora

Quoted message said:

Ciao!

sf said:

Do you have a favorite recipe to post using Gemelli?

Gemelli is one of my very faves. It's lovely with a basil-cream sauce.
(Basically, a white sauce with basil and parmesan thrown in.)

serene

serene said:

Gemelli is one of my very faves. It's lovely with a basil-cream sauce.
(Basically, a white sauce with basil and parmesan thrown in.)

This kind of sauce is called "Pesto alla Genovese". Make it in Liguria and
they put also pine-seed and oil; not cream.
The pasta that they use is called "Trofie" (something like "Gemelli"😉.
Kisses from
Pandora.

"Pandora"

Quoted message said:

serene said:

Gemelli is one of my very faves. It's lovely with a basil-cream sauce.
(Basically, a white sauce with basil and parmesan thrown in.)

This kind of sauce is called "Pesto alla Genovese". Make it in Liguria and
they put also pine-seed and oil; not cream.
The pasta that they use is called "Trofie" (something like "Gemelli"😉.
I forgot to say that they put also Pecorino cheese (half an half with
parmesan).

Ciao
Pandora.

serene said:

sf said:

Do you have a favorite recipe to post using Gemelli?

Gemelli is one of my very faves. It's lovely with a basil-cream sauce.
(Basically, a white sauce with basil and parmesan thrown in.)

I'll give it a go, thanks!

Mi e' parso che Pandora abbia scritto:

Quoted message said:

1) De Cecco
2) Voiello
3) Agnesi
4) Barilla
5) Buitoni

And let's not forget Garofalo pasta 🙂
--
Vilco
Think Pink , Drink Rose'

Vilco said:

Quoted message said:

1) De Cecco
2) Voiello
3) Agnesi
4) Barilla
5) Buitoni

And let's not forget Garofalo pasta 🙂

I didn't know if they could find it (Garofalo pasta is very good) in Usa.
Cheers
Pandora

Mi e' parso che Pandora abbia scritto:

Quoted message said:

I didn't know if they could find it (Garofalo pasta is
very good) in Usa. Cheers

Hai poi ricevuto la mia email? Ho scritto all'indirizzo che usi
sui NG.
[to all: sorry for not posting in English]
--
Vilco
Think Pink , Drink Rose'

"Vilco" <[email hidden]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mi e' parso che Pandora abbia scritto:

Quoted message said:

I didn't know if they could find it (Garofalo pasta is
very good) in Usa. Cheers

Hai poi ricevuto la mia email? Ho scritto all'indirizzo che usi sui NG.
[to all: sorry for not posting in English]

yes, thank you . But I can't answer because i can't connect.
Sto ancora tremando, cinque minuti fa c'è stato un forte terremoto qui.
Cheers and sorry for Italian
Pandora

Pandora said:

Vilco said:

Quoted message said:

1) De Cecco
2) Voiello
3) Agnesi
4) Barilla
5) Buitoni

And let's not forget Garofalo pasta 🙂

I didn't know if they could find it (Garofalo pasta is very good) in Usa.
Cheers
Pandora

The only brand listed that I haven't seen locally (SW US) is the
Voiello. Garofalo just started showing up in our supermarkets.

Arri London said:

Pandora said:

Vilco said:

> 1) De Cecco
> 2) Voiello
> 3) Agnesi
> 4) Barilla
> 5) Buitoni

And let's not forget Garofalo pasta 🙂

I didn't know if they could find it (Garofalo pasta is very good) in Usa.
Cheers
Pandora

The only brand listed that I haven't seen locally (SW US) is the
Voiello. Garofalo just started showing up in our supermarkets.

Ohhh! Garofalo is very good.
Cheers
pandora