I woke up yesterday super excited to cook with Marta. We have our weekly Tuesday cooking appointment here on IGlive at 10am. But at 9:30am my power went out. There was no message on when it would go on again, so it made for an interesting and somewhat fun day. (My mom and I played cards for the first time!)

My aunt who has lived through many blizzards gave us the tip to not open the refrigerator or freezer AT ALL, to preserve the food the longest. So, minus opening it once to make a sandwich for lunch, for dinner, I would just limit myself to the pantry. I didn’t want to open the fridge for anything. {Turning on creativity}

The power didn’t go back on until 12:15am so hopefully all our food was safe. We had 40-70mph winds in the area so the electric company turned off the power to prevent wildfires from starting.

I decided to make Aglio e Olio (garlic and oil) pasta with spaghetti. It’s a dish I made on a Live a few months back with my grade school friend @silverlinings. Thank you!

It’s simple to make and typically only requires 3 things- olive oil, pasta, and garlic. I added some red pepper flakes, dried oregano, cherry tomatoes, and a squeeze lemon to do something extra. And, actually it was REALLY good. Since our heater was off, it was a little cold so having a warm dish of pasta was really comforting. We also ate by candlelight, so we made the most of an unplanned situation.

What is your go-to pantry dish? (In case we have another power shut off)

Basic steps (scroll down for recipe): 

Start garlic and oil in cold pan

add red pepper flakes

once garlic is golden, add cherry tomatoes

Aglio e Olio Remix

Ingredients (serves 3-4):

• ¾ lb. spaghetti (I like Di Martino)
• 6-7 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
• ¼ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1-2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 lemon, juiced

Directions: 

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt water with 1 Tbsp. salt or until the water tastes like the sea.
2. Meanwhile in a large frying pan, place the oil, and garlic in a cold pan. Then, heat pan medium heat. Be careful to watch. It’s critical the garlic turns a nice golden brown, but doesn’t burn. Be ready to remove the pan from the heat and add another swig of oil if its browning too fast. (3-4 minutes). Then, add the red pepper flakes.
3. Add the sliced cherry tomatoes (stand back) and a small pinch of salt. Take off the heat. Wait until your pasta is cooked.
4. When the pasta is cooked, use tongs to transfer pasta into your frying pan (no need to drain, some water is good to thicken sauce). Reheat for a couple minutes. Add the oregano, toss and then the lemon juice.
5. Serve immediately with extra lemon if desired.