Adieu to Summer Pasta

So summer's gone and although its not winter yet but before it was time to get all consumed with hot stews and soups, I thought why not make something that personified summers for me! 

If you have 10 mins on hand, this is the pasta to make. And I have so many variations of this running in my head right now, so you could give it your own twist when you make this. Lets get to the pasta then before I begin romanticizing about summers. 

Serves: 4-5

Time taken: 10 mins

Complexity: **

You'll need

Pasta of your choice. I went with a mix of penne and farfalle (I had half packets of both)

2 tbsp butter

2-3 tbsp olive oil

splash of balsamic vinegar(optional)

10-12 cloves of garlic finely sliced

1 cup of sliced black olives

1 tbsp of red chili flakes

2 cups of basil leaves

zest of one lemon

freshly cracked black pepper

salt to taste

Pinch of your love

Method

As always, bring salted water to a rolling boil in a pot. Add the pasta to it and let it cook al dente. 

When the pasta's almost done with a couple of minutes to go, heat butter and olive oil in another saucepan. Let the heat be on medium. Most importantly, add the sliced garlic to the pan as soon as you add the butter. We want to infuse the garlic-y flavour to the butter.

Let the garlic turn opaque and give it a quick stir around. 

When the garlic turns golden (be very careful not to let it go brown because as soon as the garlic goes brown, it will turn bitter and all that deliciousness will be gone) add the basil leaves to the pan. Let them wilt in a couple of seconds or so. 

Next add the olives and the seasoning to it. 

Drain your pasta but save a cup of pasta water aside. 

Add the hot pasta to the saucepan and zest one lemon over it. A quick sprinkling of your love over it all and combine everything. Isn't it a perfect milieu of the summer-y flavours......mmm mmm mmmmmm 

Give it a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some grated Parmesan over it. You could even tear a few fresh basil leaves before serving. Yummy pasta is ready to gorge on! Indulge!