Pasta aglio e olio comes from the Abruzzo region of Italy,
but this simple dish of pasta tossed with garlic sautéed in
olive oil with a pinch of hot pepper flakes and a sprinkle of
parsley can be found at pretty much any Italian-American
restaurant in this country, and it is the base for dozens of
common variations. Pasta with clam sauce, pasta primavera,
and pasta with shrimp (or shrimp scampi, as some
translationally challenged menus will call it) all stem from
the same root.
Three flavors of garlic make their way into this bowl of
pasta.Often served with spaghetti, aglio e olio is about as
simple as a pasta sauce gets. I prefer serving mine with
shorter, stubbier pasta shapes like rotini, or with orecchiette,
which will pick up plenty of sauce, but then, I’m a garlic-