Green Olive Pasta with Golden Garlic, Emerald Parsley, and a Lemon
That’s darn good for a five-year-old! [Photo Credit: Alex Paternostro]
by Seth Paternostro
November 28, 2021
The Little Boy had never tasted green olives before. He had never seen them either, although he presumed that they existed. In his small village, the people knew few Facts beyond what they heard from their two Gods, Jack and Jill, who never left their Hill. They knew that Black Olives came in cans, that Cats were different from Dogs, and that Amazon now offered one-day Shipping. Unfortunately, without access to the internet, they were excluded from this special arrangement. They also knew neither what Amazon wanted to give them nor how it would get to them, since they were far away from any boats or large bodies of water.
On a sunny afternoon, as the other villagers slept, the Little Boy left his Family’s hut and climbed into his Komatsu Backhoe. It was a gift for his most recent birthday, his fifth, and he was proud of it. It worked Wonders when building the Family Home and allowed him to keep up Appearances with the other boys. He stood in front of the steering wheel, turned the key, and was soon backing out onto the interstate. He stayed on it for a few hours, taking in the Sights, although his legs eventually tired from standing. He pulled off at the next rest stop and returned to his mission.
After driving in the sun for so long, the Little Boy was relieved that the fluorescent bulbs of the market had all burnt out. It was comforting, just like Home. He straightened himself up and browsed the aisles until he found them: green olives. They were right next to the Black Olives that Jack and Jill sold on the Television. After paying in Cigarettes, as his Father had shown him, the Little Boy returned to the cabin of his Backhoe and opened the jar of green olives. He wondered why Jack and Jill never mentioned the green olives. Then again, Jack and Jill lived on the big Hill, so they knew what was Right.
The Little Boy popped a green olive into his mouth, then another, and another, until the jar was emptied. He Should go Home, he thought. He started up the engine, but soon turned it off. He decided to buy another jar of green olives for his Family, maybe he would make pasta.
Serves 4
Total time
25 minutes
Equipment:
cutting board, chef’s knife or cleaver, sturdy pan (preferably heavy, flat-bottomed wok), large pot, spider, wooden spoons, measuring cups and spoons, tasting fork and spoon, microplane zester
Tableware:
warm shallow bowls and utensils
Ingredients
1 lb dried fusilli pasta
4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
1 dried arbol chile
4 cloves garlic
1 lemon
3 sprigs parsley
20 large garlic-stuffed green olives
Water, as needed
Kosher salt, as needed
Black pepper, as needed
Parmigiano reggiano, as desired
Instructions
Set out all equipment, tableware, and ingredients. Prepare 1 x Toasted Panko Breadcrumbs.
Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add around two palmfuls of salt. Taste the water, then adjust as desired.
Heat a large pan over medium-low.
Peel, and thinly slice the garlic. Break the arbol chile in half, and remove the seeds, if desired. Pick the parsley leaves, roughly chop half, then finely mince the rest.
Zest, then halve the lemon.
Slice the green olives in half.
Add the extra virgin olive oil to the pan, then drop in the garlic, dried chile pepper pieces, minced parsley, and a pinch each of lemon zest, salt, and black pepper.
Stir until the garlic is just starting to brown, then turn off the heat.
Cook the pasta until almost al dente, which can sometimes be a few minutes before the time listed on the box.
Immediately before the pasta is done, turn the heat under the other pan to high.
Use the spider to transfer the pasta to the sauce base, then pour in ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.
Squeeze a lemon half over, then mix with two wooden spoons on high heat until the pasta is evenly coated and neither soupy nor dry.
Turn off the heat, add the green olives, grate over ¼ cup parmigiano reggiano, and toss once more.
Taste, and adjust with more lemon juice if necessary.
Divide the pasta among the warmed bowls, and garnish with the toasted panko breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, lemon zest, black pepper, and more parmigiano reggiano.
NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories 668 Total Fat 25g (32%) Saturated Fat 4.8g (24%) Cholesterol 8mg (3%) Sodium 500mg (22%) Total Carbohydrate 96.2g (35%) Dietary Fiber 5.1g (18%) Total Sugars 3.9g Protein 16.9g Vitamin D 2mcg (10%) Calcium 62mg (5%) Iron 6mg (31%) Potassium 61mg (1%) - Note: Please read our Nutrition Disclaimer.
Seth Paternostro is a writer and recipe developer based in Chicago. He is a co-founder of Our American Cuisine and graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in East Asian Studies. You can learn more about him here.
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