Monday, July 09, 2007

Great Italian Garlic debate.


Seems like there is a debate raging it Italy about garlic. I always thought this was settled area. But chef Filippo La Mantia find s garlic to overpowering for more delicate flavors. Also, he said that people who eat garlic are, "..second class, backward, unsophisticated."
Read the article from NPR here . Or in McPaper ( USA Today) here. or here I love the quote from a from a fellow selling garlic in the market.... "What are we supposed to eat, shallots? Will that make us more elegant? More French?"
The debate is closed as far as I'm concerned. The more garlic the better. Filippo better find a job slinging high class hash in some French restaurant. Now if you don't mind pass the garlic.
Oh By the way here is Fillippo' s recipe for garlic free pasta ::
It could just use a little garlic to make it better!!!!
Garlic-free Pasta
Start to finish: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
8 ounces linguine
10 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup toasted almonds
Handful of fresh mint
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh or dry oregano, to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
Caciocavallo cheese (a savory Italian cheese), for grating (Parmesan could be substituted)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until al dente.
Meanwhile, roughly chop the tomatoes, almonds and mint. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the olive oil, oregano and lemon juice. Mix well. Set aside.
Drain the pasta and add to the bowl. Toss to combine. Top with cheese and season with salt and pepper.
Recipe from chef Filippo La Mantia of Rome's Trattoria restaurant.