Aglio Olio e Pickled Jalapeno

To be completely honest, I am not always up for pasta dishes. For one simple irrelevant fact that they usually come with rich heavy cream, cheese or meat sauce. That is it for eating out. As for home cooking, this is a different story. Tompa is the chef when it comes to cooking pasta (hope you all have tried his awsomely awsome mushroom red wine sauce). But now that he is gone to Japan and I am sitting here, jealously alone, I became all of a sudden, pasta-homesick.

Not having much to do, but being lazy enough to go to the store, I decided to go for the simplest, but delish Italian Classic :

AGLIO OLIO e PICKLED JALAPENO:
(Garlic Oil And ...)

spice ladder: ***

prep time: 15 minutes
serves: 1 lonely soul

• pasta of your choice
• 3 garlic cloves
• olive oil
• 2 pickled jalapeno peppers
• salt

Cook the pasta according to the instructions (you want it Al Dente, meaning "just done", not soggy and not raw). Slice the garlic and chop the jalapenos (with some liquid, too, no need to squeeze it out). In a wok, heat the olive oil (be generous, that s all you re getting pretty much, plain pasta with flavored oil) and roast the jalapenos together with the garlic. Add salt and once ready, toss it all with pasta. Super easy, super quick.

(I usually add chopped seasonal veggie, like this time it was zucchini).

Here are some tips on how to enrich the basic sauce:

1. Use chopped seasonal veggies (like I did on the pic above), such as brocolli florets, zucchini or grilled eggplant.
2. Experiment with salt and herb mixtures (again, like I did on the pic above). I usually use VEGETA - "vegetable salt". It is a richer alternative to plain salt. Or, sprinkle some of Herb De Provence on top of it for extra herby flavor.
3. Dont hesistate to put some parmesan cheese or fried bacon bits for the meat eaters.
4. Go with fresh herbs - basil, thyme, ... they all work well.

This one goes to Ruth of Once Upon A Feast for her Presto Pasta Nights (lovely roundups there)... I know this is not the most ellaborate one, but let´s call it simle, but great...