The goal was simple — the most intense garlic pasta I could muster.
But there was a caveat. There is no joy in a dish that reeks of too much garlic, or that is so potent it is inedible. I wanted a garlic pasta that was deeply savory and delicious, that dripped with garlic flavor in every bite, but pleasantly so and without leaving you feeling overwhelmed.
The solution? A simple sauce made from garlic that is poached and pureed. The poaching mellows the garlic’s intensity, but not its flavor. Combine the puree with grated Parmesan cheese and a splash of the pasta cooking water and you have a pasta dish that is over-the-top delicious and outrageously garlicky.
This recipe calls for 2 cups of garlic cloves. And yet it calls for very little else. You will be amazed at the depth of flavor you get from so few ingredients. And while I’m not normally a fan of buying pre-peeled garlic, I make an exception for this recipe. It would be a pain to peel that many cloves. Want to make this recipe vegetarian? Swap vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
FETTUCCINE WITH GARLIC-PARMESAN PUREE
Start to finish: 25 minutes
Makes 6 servings
2 cups garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups chicken broth
12 ounces fettuccine pasta
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
Salt and ground black pepper
Nutrition information per serving: 420 calories; 90 calories from fat (21 percent of total calories); 10 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 25 mg cholesterol; 59 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 24 g protein; 850 mg sodium.
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