seafood alio olio spaghetti with white wine sauce

Starting off with alio olio, I have experimented with different pastas including belly pork arrabiata & chilli crab pasta. This remains firmly my favourite pasta dish though. 🙂

seafood alio olio spaghetti with white wine sauce

The alio olio (garlic olive oil) is a key in this dish. I prepare this first by slowly browning peeled whole garlic cloves from 1 bulb in olive oil on low heat. You can feel the garlic olive oil aroma wafting through the kitchen. I then empty these in a bowl & while the wok is still greased with oil, I lightly fry the sotongs (squids) and small or medium shelled prawns (which have been lightly seasoned with salt & pepper) separately to 90% or just cooked & dish them into separate bowls.

seafood alio olio spaghetti with white wine sauce

I then boil the spaghetti (adding some salt & oil to the water) according to the timing instructions given on the package to just before al dente and then transfer them to a colander to drain. The spaghetti is still hot & will get cooked just a little more.

seafood alio olio spaghetti with white wine

When I am ready to cook, I heat up the wok & emptied into it the bowl of fragrant olive oil with browned garlic cloves together with cut chilli padi and stirfry to get the aroma out, then add in the squid & prawns. I then turn up the fire & add white wine (up to 1 cup) and 1 teaspoon sugar, and reduced. I then turn off the fire, add in the spaghetti & toss & add sea salt to taste, dish them out on a serving dish & garnish with washed fresh basil from the garden.

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

1. 250g (1/2 packet) spaghetti (serves 2-3)
2. 4 tbsp olive oil
3. 1 bulb garlic peeled & ready in whole cloves
4. 250g medium or small prawns
5. 250g aka 1 large s0tong (squid)
6. 1 or 2 chilli padi
7. 1 cup white wine
8. 1 tsp sugar
9. sea salt & pepper to taste
10. 1 cup of washed fresh basil

Directions:

1. Prepare the prawns – shell and butterfly/de-vein the prawns. season lightly with sea salt & pepper
2. Prepare the squid – remove the head & tentacles & wings & set aside. remove red skin from the squid body & cut into rings. season lightly with sea salt & pepper.
3. Prepare the garlic olive oil – stir-fry whole garlic cloves on low heat to brown the garlic & flavour the oil.
4. Prepare the spaghetti – add some salt & oil to water and boil the spaghetti according to timing instructions & drain in a colander.
5. Cook – lightly fry the prawns & squid separately and set aside. empty the prepared olive oil & garlic into a hot wok & add cut chilli padi. add the prawns & squid. turn up the heat & add the white wine & sugar & reduce. turn off the heat, add in the spaghetti & toss & add sea salt to taste. Place the spaghetti in a serving dish and garnish with fresh basil leaves.