Spaghetti with garlic and basil sauce

It's the fabulous combination garlic-flavored olive oil and refreshing basil.

Photos: 1996/10/26 , Made on: 1997/09/14

Reference books:	"NIN NIKUNO spaghetti" by Yoshio Marumoto, "ZOKU SIN KATEI RYOURI" KURASINOSEKKEI 192 p72-73 (1989) published by CHUUOU KOURONSHA
	"ANO [KYANTYI] NO PAJIRIKO spaghetti WO SHOKUTAKUNI" by NOBUYOSI HITA, CHIKA NOCHI Dancyu p8-12 may issue (1995) published by President inc.

In fact, this recipe is an arranged variation from a reference book by Mr. Yoshio Marumoto. In that book, garlic is the most important ingredient and chopped parsley is a garnish. I have made it following the reference book once, but my sons like basil spaghetti which they sometimes eat at a steak restaurant near my parents' home, so I tried one using plenty of basil. I supposed it is better that the restaurant recipe is to boil spaghetti and then fry and add basil. That's why I have the original recipe.

Garlic spaghetti is certainly tasty but I wondered if green parsley taste was too much. When add basil as a substitute for parsley, it is a better combination than garlic and parsley. Now it is one of our favorite recipes like spaghetti bongore. Atsusi said "When I want to eat a large amount, I prefer basil spaghetti, when I want enrich taste, I prefer spaghetti bongore" That's true, I think.

Well, when I planed to put up spaghetti basiliko on my home page, there was no reference book in my home. There are some reference books about other types of spaghetti, but no basiliko. Only one proper recipe is on "dancyu" by Yoshio Marumoto, the previous list. I wrote it down as a reference, but the method is different to my recipe. To me it seems tasty, so I included it here.

The key to the taste depends on fresh basil, completely. If you use parsley as a substitute for basil, the taste is completely different. And I suggest you use extra-virgin olive-oil, even it is a little expensive. I think the knack of making a good dish is the little things, but very important. For the best taste always use the best ingredients.

Ingredients , For our family (At one time/ serve: 3)

600-700 g pasta

1 packed of fresh basil

5-6 pieces of garlic

1 big onion

Olive oil (Preferably use virgin olive oil)

1-2 teaspoons salt

Chop the onion and garlic. At first prepare to boil water for pasta. Secondly chop the vegetables into small pieces. While from water to hot water, you have a plenty of the time for chopping ingredients. To start fry ingredients and then boil the pasta. The time is important for this method and cooking, so you'd better to imagine all process that before cooking. One more important thing, use plenty of garlic for this dish. I can say flavor of garlic is the key for cooking it well.

To cook

Cooking
time
(min.) Pictures Comments

12
-
15
Fry garlic and onion

Fry chopped garlic and onion in very low heat for 15 minutes. Be careful don't let garlic burnt. It is better to fry them before water to hot water. Add salt and pepper and keep frying. Garlic and onion go to golden color, it's finished.

At same time to frying garlic and onion
Add basil

While frying garlic and onion, chop basil finely. The flavor of basil is easy to lost, be careful washing basil. Just before garlic and onion cooked, add basil and stir lightly. Remove the pan from the gas.

1
-
2
Mix pasta and basil

Boil pasta in plenty of salty water. This salt taste is the knack of cooking a very good dish. Drain hot water well, add pasta into the pan and mix well. Serve with hot.