When I first learned to cook, I drew recipe inspirations from two primary resources: Pinterest and Two Greedy Italians.
The latter is a BBC series that follows chefs Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo on their journey throughout Italy. There is just something endearing and nostalgic about those two. The way they explain the different regional cultures in Italy, their use of local ingredients, and their “old man” senses of humor never fail to inspire the inner culinary student within myself.
For instance, they inspired me to create this spaghetti aglio e olio (garlic and oil) with prawns, anchovies, and capers. To this day, this pasta dish is my “go-to” whenever I’m unsure of what to prepare for dinner.
On behalf of my inner culinary student, it is my pleasure to share my Two Greedy Italians-inspired recipe with you!
INGREDIENTS (Serves 1-2)
1/4 cup of olive oil
2-4 anchovies
1 tablespoon of capers
2-4 cloves of garlic
1 chili pepper (or 1 teaspoon of dried chili flakes)
3-4 prawns
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley
1/2 box of dried spaghetti (cooked)
Parmesan cheese to taste
METHOD
- Soak garlic, anchovies, and capers in cold olive oil in a pan, then slowly heat up on medium heat
- Add chili
- Add prawns to the pan, then salt and pepper to taste
- When prawns are fully cooked, add half of the chopped parsley
- Place the cooked spaghetti to the pan, as well as a spoonful of pasta water
- Mix well, then transfer the dish to a plate
- Finish off the dish with the remainder of chopped parsley, as well as desired amount of parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and salt/pepper
- Viola! (and in the words of Gennaro… “Why I’m cooking so good?“)
