Fire in the pasta!
I love pasta. Even though we don’t eat it often. When I do, I want my pasta simple with a lot of flavor.
I saw Giada do this on Everyday Italian a couple of years ago and knew instantly that it would meet our criteria of simple and spicy.
This dish is great served on it’s own or as a side dish to any meal. We love it with my husbands grilled salmon that we do with olive oil, lemon pepper and lots and lots of dill weed. He smokes this over a wood fire and is delicious along side this pasta or vise versa the pasta as a side with the salmon. It’s hard to decide who is the star of the plate.
My other favorite to serve with this combo is Giadas Italian chopped salad which has white beans, romaine, sun-dried tomatoes and radicchio. I will be posting that recipe soon because I think it will become one of your favorites.
Simple ingredients but full of flavor.
Firey Angel Hair Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb. angel hair pasta
- 1/2 c. chili oil recipe follows
- 1/2 c. chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves or more
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 Tbsp. lemon zest
- coarse sea salt
- dried crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest optional
- 2/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the angel hair pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 6-8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Stir the oil, parsley, lemon juice and the 2 tablespoons lemon zest in a large serving bowl. Add the cooked pasta and toss with enough reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and red pepper flakes, to taste. Sprinkle grated lemon peel over pasta for extra flavor and texture. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve.
- Chili Oil:
- 2 c. olive oil
- 4 tsp.dried crushed red pepper flakes
- Combine the oil and the crushed red pepper flakes in a heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat until a thermometer inserted into the oil registers 180°, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Transfer the oil and pepper flakes to a bottle. Seal the lid. Refrigerate up to 1 month.
- *Note: for this recipe I just make 1/4 this recipe.
Who’s the star of the plate. The Italian Chopped Salad, the grilled salmon or the Firey Angel Hair Pasta?
2 Comments
San West
May 12, 2011 at 11:21 amHow do you do the chili oil with the Firey Angel Hair Pasta?
Sherry
May 16, 2011 at 8:59 amSan, I totally forgot to put the recipe at the end. I will add it to the original post.