I’m a little embarrassed to pop back in here, after ignoring this space for so long. But hey, life gets busy, you know?

Since the new year, I’ve started a new role at work and adopted a dog! And while I’ve still been cooking and baking lots of good things, the whole photographing and writing about it part has fallen by the wayside. Not to mention the short daylight hours make shooting difficult, as evidenced by my janky bedside table lamp lighting set-up in this post.

Anyway, here I am just now editing photos from the night I made pasta aglio e olio one night in January.

What can I say about pasta aglio e olio? Well, it means garlic and oil. That already tells you how simple it is. I found it in Ina’s “How Easy Is That?” cookbook one night when I was still living at home being the family housewife. It’s like cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) in that it’s one of those late night chef-y sort of dishes that you imagine whipping up after a long night in the kitchen. I say that because that’s what Ina said (more or less) in her introduction to the recipe. I say that also because Jon Favreau makes it for Scarlett Johansson (still trying to work that one out) in the movie Chef. Ya know, after a long night in the kitchen. Because he’s a chef.

It’s great on its own the first night, but for leftovers I’m a big fan or adding roasted Brussels sprouts or peas and a fried egg.

The point is, this is a simple and, as Ina stresses, easy recipe. It’s a great one for the arsenal. Especially for nights, or weeks, when you’re busy walking your (cute as hell) dog for the fifth time of the day.

Sorry. This is Henry. I had to. Now go make this pasta.

Pasta Aglio e Olio

Ina Garten’s recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb spaghetti or linguine

8 large garlic cloves, sliced thinly

1/3 cup olive oil

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to your taste)

½ cup fresh minced parsley

1 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino

Kosher salt

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, seasoning generously with salt (about 2 tablespoons) before adding the pasta. Cook according to package directions. Make sure to reserve 1 ½ cups of cooking water before draining the pasta.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a pot or sauté pan large enough to toss the pasta at the end. Add the garlic, stirring frequently to keep from burning. After about two minutes or when the garlic is golden brown, add the red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds.
3. Add the reserved pasta water to the sauté pan, bring to a boil, and simmer until reduced by a third. This should take around 5 minutes.
4. Add the drained pasta to the garlic sauce and toss together. Off the heat add the parsley and the cheese. Allow to sit for a few minutes for the sauce to absorb and serve with, obviously, more cheese.