Bacon Aglio Olio

The type of Aglio Olio in Italian restaurants in Taiwan is rarely. But, I ate once in the student’s cafeteria in my husband’s university. It is weird, isn’t it? Sold at student’s cafeteria?

Traditionally, Aglio Olio was offered to the poor who couldn’t afford to add other sauce. It is reasonable to be sold at university’s cafeteria, isn't it. But, who care? I just like food with garlic flavor. So, I like this kind of simple pasta, the strong garlic flavor mixing into my spaghetti.

Recipe: Serve 1 Person

 

Steps of Bacon Aglio Olio

(1) Prepare a fried-pan. Add olive oil in the pan. Switch the medium heat on. Add chili pepper and garlic in the pan. Fry chili pepper and garlic around 8 minutes.

(2) Prepare a saucepan. Boil spaghetti with a little salt and a little olive oil. It takes around 12~15 depend on manufacturers.
(Selena’s Kitchen Talk: Avoid sticky pasta by adding olive oil to the pasta water.)

(3) Add bacon into the fried-pan. Fry bacon around 2~3 minutes.

(4) Then, add chopped mushroom into the fried pan. Fry until it turns soft.

(5) Dry spaghetti. Then add it into the fried-pan. Well-incorporate all ingredients.

(6) Add spinach in before the spaghetti is ready. Season pasta with some salt. Switch the heat off.

 

It is so YUM~~~ I felt like I want one more after eating the whole. Pasta can be so delicious without adding any extra pasta sauce. Just enjoy the pure flavor with chili pepper, garlic, and olive oil mixed with spaghetti. It is just so easy. The type of Aglio Olio will become the regular showing on my dining table. Enjoy it and don’t forget to prepare more. Because you definitely want more.

Garlic Bread

Garlic bread is always one of my favorite breads. I like the strong garlic flavor with melting butter and crispy edge. When I was a girl, my mom took us to eat out at restaurants. They always served garlic bread as the starter. It was very delicious. My sisters and I always needed to fight to eat one more. After being in the UK, I can find out frozen garlic breads or fresh garlic bread sold at shops or bakeries. But, these garlic bread don’t have strong garlic flavor. Garlic butter is not hard to make. Why not just bake it to think back the time?

Oven Temperature Setting: 200C/392F/Gas Mark 6. Baking Time: 15~18 minutes

Recipe: For 8 Garlic Breads
Hotter Batter Link

 Steps of Garlic Butter

(Selena’s Kitchen Talk: This is my lazy way to prepare garlic butter. Sometimes, I use this method to prepare garlic butter when I bake other food.)

(1) Weight all ingredients
(2) Put butter and chopped garlic in a cup. Send it into the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.
(3) Mash the garlic by a folk, and then add dried basil into the butter. Mix it
(Selena’s Kitchen Talk: If you will do more at once, we need to stir it to avoid it sinking at the bottom during the cooling.)

 

Steps of Garlic Bread

(1) Weight all ingredients well

(2) Place Strong Flour, Plain Flour, Granulated Sugar and Salt into a big bowl. And then, stir a while.
(Selena’s Kitchen Talk: Every time I bake the bread, I will mix dry ingredients firstly. Salt will kill yeast if it touches to yeast directly )
(3) Add yeast into the mixture. Mix it.

(4) Then, add Hot Batter and 50ml milk into the bowl as well. Stir and mix into well until there is no flour.

(5) Move the dough ball into a lightly floured work space. And put butter on the dough. Then, start to knead it. 

(6) Add 30ml milk several times when you knead the dough into a smooth and elastic dough ball.

(7) Move it back to the lightly greased bowl. And brush some watch or milk on the surface of the dough ball. Wait around 1~2 hours until it doubles the size.

 

Steps of Assembly

(1) After the dough doubles the size, squeeze out the air. Separate the dough into 8 pieces.

(2) Shape 8 pieces into balls. Slice a cross over the top of dough. Leave at a warm place to double the size again, around 40 ~ 60 minutes.
(3) Drizzle melted garlic butter on the cross. Brush some water around the surface. Sent it to the pre-heated oven at 200C/392F/Gas Mark 6 and bake around 15~18 minutes.

This taste is what I remember. A little crispy with butter and garlic flavor. Memories coming at every bite. Enjoy it.