Pasta alajio: quasi-fusion recipe combing Italian and Mexican cuisines.

Pasta Alajio by Jason Conrad
for pastatherapy.com

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This is a quasi-fusion recipe combing Italian and Mexican cuisines. I have made this dish for numerous friends and family over the years with rave reviews. Simple and delicious.

Ingredients

(Per pound of Pasta)
6 Tablespoons of good olive oil

-4 cloves garlic minced

-1 large white or yellow onion (depending on preference) sliced about 1cm wide

-2 small chile peppers diced (I use Serrano peppers, but you can use any variety or none at all depending on the level of heat you like)

-1 cup dry white wine (do not use cooking wines laced with salt, or you will ruin the dish!!!)

-1-2 Tablespoons of real butter, salt, pepper

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium low heat

2. Add sliced onion to oil and gently saute until tender. I always add a pinch of salt with the onions.

3. Add minced garlic and diced chile, gently saute until fragrant and slightly darkened. Do not burn the garlic!!!

4. When garlic is done, add butter and allow to melt

5. Add white wine (usually a very oaky Chardonnay works best, but any dry white will do...does not need to be expensive!!!)

6. Simmer uncovered to reduce sauce by about 1/4, then transfer to a bowl large enough to toss pasta in.

7. Cook pasta of choice with a little salt and olive oil

8. Toss pasta with sauce and serve with fresh ground pepper and grated hard cheese (Romano or Parm) to taste. (note- if you do not use a grated hard cheese, you might want to sprinkle a little salt on top of the dish to bring out the flavor of the onions and garlic.)

-Note: I also sometimes like to serve this dish as Camarones (shrimp) Pasta Alajio. Large shrimp are best for this dish. I add them towards the end of the sauce reduction, just long enough for them to cook without becoming too tough. Be sure to not only remove the sauce from heat, but to transfer out of the saute pan to stop the cooking process, otherwise shrimp will become tough) You can also use scallops if you desire...BE CREATIVE!!!

-Submitted by: Jason Conrad

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