Asparagus & Bacon Aglio Olio
I made this asparagus & bacon aglio olio as I had a craving for pasta that is customised to suit my taste buds – pasta cooked in loads of healthy olive oil & fresh garlic, as well as a little more heat than usual. This is a full-flavoured pasta that is easy on the palate.
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Asparagus & Bacon Aglio Olio Ingredients
Main ingredients (pictured above):
- Garlic – Lots of it, preferably freshly minced/chopped. You can use a garlic press or garlic twister (as pictured) to speed things up.
- Chilli – I use chilli padi (bird’s eye chilli) for extra heat. I end them towards the end so that the chilli heat isn’t choking when cooking. Or you can also use the milder dried chilli flakes.
- Bacon – Cut them to short 1 cm strips as shown above.
- Asparagus – Use thick asparagus for a more luxurious vibe. To prep the asparagus – snap & discard the bottom ends of the asparagus spears which is tough. Shave the stem so that it’s not woody. In this way, the asparagus will taste tender, not woody.
- Butter – for added flavour and a velvety finish.
Asparagus & Bacon Aglio Olio (STEP-BY-STEP)
Add asparagus and a bit of oil in the middle of the pan. Add the bacon strips around the asparagus. Season the asparagus with some salt and pepper. When the contents are lightly cooked on one side, turn them over to cook on the other side.
Push the cooked asparagus & bacon to the side of the pan. Add garlic and more olive oil. Cook until the garlic turns light golden brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Then add parsley and chilli, pan fry for a few seconds until aromatic.
Meanwhile, on the next stove, I cook some angel hair which only takes 1 minute 30 seconds.
Immediately add the angel hair to the pan along with a small knob of butter.
Add a few spoons of rich chicken stock, or pasta cooking water.
Combine everything in the pan until evenly mixed. Season with salt & pepper and garnish with a lemon wedge. I usually eat the pasta straight from the pan.
You can also plate it out. What I love most about home-made pasta is that I have a small glass of sauvignon blanc to go with the pasta!
Asparagus & Bacon Aglio Olio Recipe
This 15-minute asparagus & bacon aglio is quick, easy and full-flavoured thanks to the bacon & a generous amount of fresh garlic.
Ingredients:
- 1 serving (60-75g) angel hair (or any favourite pasta)
- 1 tsp salt for boiling the pasta
- 4 thick asparagus spears prepped & cut diagonally to short sections
- 35g streaky bacon cut to short (1 cm) slices
- 1 tsp + 1/2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 6 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 10g unsalted butter
- 1 partially de-seeded chilli padi (bird’s eye chilli) or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes to taste
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley or 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
- 2-3 tbsp chicken stock or pasta cooking water
- 1 lemon wedge
- salt & black pepper to taste
- more olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese finishing touches; optional
Directions:
- Cook angel hair in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente, about 1 1/2 minutes. Take out the angel hair and set aside.
- Cook asparagus & bacon. Place asparagus in the middle of the pan and scatter 1 tsp oil and a small sprinkle of salt + pepper over the asparagus. Place bacon strips around the asparagus. Cook the asparagus and bacon on one side then turn over to cook the other side. When both are cooked, push them to the side of the pan.
- Cook garlic. Add chopped garlic and remaining olive oil to the pan. Let the garlic cook in the oil, stirring occasionally. Once the garlic turn light golden, lower the heat.
- Make pasta & serve. Add cooked angel hair, butter, chilli, parsley and stock (or pasta cooking water) to the pan. Combine all the ingredients in the pan evenly. Season with salt & pepper. Serve pasta with a lemon wedge. You can also add an extra lug of olive oil and grate fresh parmesan cheese as finishing touches.