Take a simple recipe for pasta with garlic and oil and turn it into something more!
So now that you know how to make the Basic Pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil, you can change the flavor of the dish dramatically by simply adding crushed red pepper, pinenuts, walnuts, pistachios, basil, oregano, thyme, curry, or whatever you happen to have in your pantry. By adding one of these ingredients, you will greatly enhance the flavor of your dish. Here's where you can experiment with different herbs and nuts and taste the difference each has on your Basic Pasta with Garlic and Oil. We will be adding chicken, fish, meat and tomatoes in future updates, but for now, work with different nuts, fruit rinds, and herbs.
The beauty of this dish is it's versatility. You get home from work, check the cabinets and see what's you have on hand. Start the water boiling, make your basic Pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil, and add your additional ingredient(s). Simple and it provides a wonderful opportunity to learn how different ingredients effect flavor. Some of the ingredients may require a small adjustment to the recipe that I will show you.
Additional Ingredients
Dry Hot Chile Pepper (crushed red pepper) - This may be an additional ingredient, but most of the cookbooks I checked out call for chile pepper with Garlic & Oil. Depending on your personal taste, you can add more or less, but I would recommend starting with 1/4 tsp and working up. You can also use a fresh chopped chili pepper if you have one.
You'll have to experiment with the amount depending on the pepper's heat quotient since there are 200 varieties of chili peppers. Remember, most of the heat comes from the seeds and membrane so add accordingly. Add the crushed red pepper at the same time you add the salt & pepper. The addition of red pepper will add a subtle spicy heat to the dish.
