Guilty Indulgence

My Guilty Indulgence: Perciatelli Aglio e Olio

Some people crave chocolate, some people ice cream. Me, I crave pasta and garlic. Call me weird; I don't really care. If I am down, a plate of pasta aglio e olio will do the trick in elevating my spirits.

I wasn't down last night, but I was hungry and not in the mood to cook. Ann was feeling off her game and didn't want dinner. Lucky me, I had a bit of par-cooked perciatelli in the fridge.

We partially cook our pasta at the restaurant and then finish it to order; it helps get orders to the table faster. If we had the luxury of having someone to cook pasta exclusively, then we could do it to order. But we don't, so we par cook it. And that means that we sometimes have leftover pasta that didn't get served. And so it was on New Year's Eve. Lucky me, as I said earlier.

There is nothing simpler than warming garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil, adding a little salt and water, and finishing some long pasta in it. And my special bonus to myself: topping it with a touch of grated pecorino romano and some panko and dried basil that I toasted in olive oil.

And that's my guilty indulgence. Pasta and garlic: perciatelli aglio e olio. Late night bar hopping drunk food!

As I was eating my bowl of noodles, Ann said, "Our house should always smell like this." Amen!