Spicy Vegetarian Aglio Olio and Garlic Toast

Living in a small town has its benefits: fresh air and (almost) kind drivers on the road being two of them. Good quality Italian food, especially the vegetarian kind is one benefit I've been living too long without. Hence the menu for tonight's dinner: spicy vegetarian aglio olio with garlic toast on the side. I tweaked the aglio olio recipe a little to make it a little more Asian.

Spicy Vegetarian Aglio Olio (adapted from Rachael Ray's Spicy Shrimp and Spaghetti Aglio Olio)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (4 turns around the pan in a light stream) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup fried vegetarian anchovies
• 6 to 8 large cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls
• Coarse salt
• 1 pound spaghetti, cooked
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
• sesame oil (optional)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
  
  1. Fry anchovies in oil. Set aside.
  2. Fry garlic until slightly brown.
  3. Return pan to heat and reduce heat to medium low. Add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Add anchovies, garlic, and pepper flakes to oil. Add a few drops of sesame oil for extra flavour.
  4. Add red chillies to pan. Toss spaghetti in the pan with parsley and the garlic-infused olive oil, then season with a little coarse salt, to your taste. Add about a tablespoon of lemon juice for taste if desired.
  5. Serve hot. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese and chopped cooked vegetarian sausage if you like on the aglio olio when serving.

Here's a photo of the finished dish:

And the garlic toast:

Simple Garlic Toast


Ingredients:


Butter, wholemeal bread, 5 cloves garlic (minced), salt and pepper to taste 

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
2. Mix butter with minced garlic. Spread on the slices of wholemeal bread. 

3. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper to taste (optional).
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until butter has melted and bread is lightly browned.
5. Serve with mushroom soup or enjoy on its own.