Pasta with Garlic, Oil and Toasted Bread Crumbs

[Zereh]

I like pasta; I'm just not crazy about tomato-based sauces. Here's a quick, easy, and super yummy alternative:

1 lb linguine or spaghetti
1 1/2 t salt (for pasta) plus 1 t for sauce
1 T unsalted butter
1/4 c dry bread crumbs
1/2 oz grated, fresh Parmesan (about 2 T)
3 medium garlic cloves, minceed (about 1 T)
1/4 extra virgin olive oil (the best you can afford!)
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/4 c dry Vermouth
Ground black pepper

~ Adjust oven rack to middle position, place large ovensafe serving bowl on rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees F. Prepare pasta according to directions, reserving 1/2 c pasta cooking water before draining.

~ Heat butter in heavy-bottomed 10-inch skillet over med-high heat until foaming. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, toasted and fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Transfer crumbs to small bowl and mix in parmesan and 1/2 t minced garlic; set aside. Wipe out now-empty skillet with large wad of paper towels.

~ Mix remaining minced garlic with 1 t water. Heat olive oil, garlic and pepper flakes in cleaned skillet over medium heat, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add vermouth, reserved pasta cooking water, remaining 1 t salt and pepper to taste; cook to blend flavors, about 1 minute longer. Toss pasta and sauce in warm serving bowl, sprinkle bread crumbs over and serve immediately.


Z

 

[-DEADLY SUSHI-]

Hey.... great recipe! I like an alternative now and then. What do you think would happen if I left out the vermouth?

 

[Zereh]

mmm Not sure. Never tried it without. Vermouth is dry tasting though, so I'm sure you could sub some dry white wine without there being much difference. Or maybe even cooking sherry. Or maybe a little more of the pasta water and a dash of either wine or cooking sherry.


Z

 

[Barbara L]

If you use sherry, just use regular sherry. Cooking sherry is full of salt.

Barbara

 

[Zereh]

But isn't real sherry sweet :?: I'm not sure since I've never tasted it. And all I know about it I learned reading those trashy romance novels (the ladies always sipped on it while the men had cigars after dinner during Victorian time. =P)

I'll dig around and see what I can find as a suitable sub.


Z

 

[Zereh]

<3 Google! Here's a nice list of substitions!

It recommends using apple juice in place of vermouth. Who'd have thunk it.

 

[kyles]

I have done a recipe similar to this without any liquid at all, so you could try that. Jamie Oliver's recipe is similar to this and doesn't contain any liquid. Vermouth (at least in this country is very cheap, and it's horrible so your not tempted to drink it - lol)

Sherries vary from being sticky sweet, to being as dry as a bone, depending on the type. There are some lovely dry Spanish sherries that are great chilled, that unlike Vermouth, you will be tempted to drink, so will not last in your store cupboard for very long

 

[kitchenelf]

Get a dry sherry - cooking sherry is, like mentioned, so salty it doesn't add anything good to a dish. If you want your dish less salty you have NO CHOICE and I don't mean cooking sherry is "a little" salty - it's horrible with no sherry flavor at all.

Just get a bottle of dry sherry - it's no more than $5.00 - and vermouth is the same way.

Much better flavors!!!

 

[kitchenelf]

Forgot to say - this looks like a GREAT recipe - thanks for posting it!