So you want to cook Italian. So you are from Australia and believe that Italian pasta sauces consist of rich, rich tomato flavours, as many veggies as will fit into your pan, and a big slab of minced meat. Turns out this is wrong. (Of course we could now launch into a long discussion about the myth of authenticity, and that in such a globalised world to say that a way of eating and cooking is wrong according to it's origin is completely redundant. However for now we'll just ignore this)
Italian food and cooking is about simplification. About using as little ingredients as possible, choosing very flavorsome, fresh and healthy things, and letting them 'speak for themselves'.
This is a little recipe picked up in Florence, (thanks Harry), that takes the notion of simplification to the extreme.
So if you want to snobbishly impress your friends with some 'real Italian'- like the Italians say, 'as if you have shit under your nose'- but you can't be bothered 'breaking your balls' over it, then this is your thing. And by the way, it actually tastes really good!
Ingredients: -Garlic -Olive oil -Spaghetti -2 Lemons -Rosemary -salt
Method: -Cook pasta. -Warm the garlic slowly in the oil, add salt. -Add rosemary, let the flavors slowly permeate the oil for about 2-3 minutes. -Squeeze the lemon juice in the pan to warm not boil. -Chuck the pasta in the pan, toss through the sauce.
Done! Garnish with extra Rosemary. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon if you want.