Aglio e olio pasta is a stalwart of traditional Italian cuisine and, thankfully, a cinch to prepare. With just a few ingredients—garlic, peperoncino, and extra virgin olive oil—you can have a delicious pantry dinner on the table in under 20 minutes.
But now that it’s springtime and our local markets are (finally!) flush with produce, we’re kicking it up a notch with Missy Robbins’s riff on the classic primi. Robbins, who recently picked up our Best Chef: New York City award, adds her own spin to this dish by incorporating seasonal garlic scapes. As Robbins explains, "garlic scapes are the stems and un-opened flowers of a garlic plant" and have a short growing season. They offer a "delicate, sweeter garlic flavor" than the cloves, while adding a vegetal crunch and colorful contrast.
Just like the dish this recipe is based on, only minimal effort is involved. Warm up some olive oil in a pan, toss in chopped garlic and red pepper flakes, and add the scapes, a bit of julienned zucchini, and cooked pasta. To finish, Robbins recommends topping each bowl with bread crumbs, fresh mint, and salty Pecorino-Romano cheese. Pick up some scapes before the season is over and make this recipe ASAP.
Hungry for more? View our entire recipe collection.
Learn more about the James Beard Awards.
--
Hilary Deutsch is digital media coordinator at the James Beard Foundation. Find her on Instagram and Twitter.
Related Content
30 Years in 30 Days: Curtis Stone
Heirloom Tomato Consommé with Goat Cheese Ravioli
