Don't let the title of this initial blog fool you. It's not how it sounds. Granted my wife is away this weekend in our old stomping grounds Chicago. When I say play I mean in the kitchen, and since the wife is away I get to make it hot and spicy! This could totally have been an ideal opportunity to mess around with something new and unique, but I couldn't pass up the chance to make something simple and solid for my own tastes.
What was the verdict? It was an easy decision, Oil and garlic with pancetta. Now this wasn't a run of the mill Oil and Garlic. This was one of those versions where there's something serious going on! Load up the pan with olive oil and diced pancetta. Let the pancetta get nice a crispy. Throw in some sliced onions and get them nice and coated in the pancetta fat. OH and I forgot, with that oil add some crushed red pepper. By some I mean A LOT. As if this doesn't smell good enough already it's time to add the trinity of garlic. First its a bunch of cloves sliced. Once that first round of garlic is cooked through a bit add some crushed garlic. This adds a little more heat due to the garlic oils being out for a night on the town. Last and not least is a garlic paste. This will add a little salt and flavor into your oil. Add a little white wine to deglaze the pan and slow down the cooking of the garlic and its go time!! All you need to do is add your pasta to get coated in that sauce, and top it with some fresh parm.
This is one of my favorite meals when the Mrs. is away. She doesn't like too much heat. This is a meal where you take one bite and you feel under your eyes starting to sweat, then your forehead. People use the phrase "Dance like Nobody's Watching", well this constitutes to eat like it. Just let it go. Let the spaghetti dangle from the fork, slurp it up as oil flies everywhere. Wash it down with some wine. There's no shame here, this is a meal about you. Enjoy every last bite, while the heat and the flavor gets captured on your tongue. Then since I'm all alone and my mouth is on fire I head downstairs and compliment dinner with a nice smoke. The perfect ending.
Food, not because you have to, but because you want to.
Tony
