After two years on this campus, I’ve realized one very important thing, SCHOOL FOOD SUCKS.

Okay, it’s really not that bad. Some of it is actually quite good. But there has never been a moment where I found myself saying, “Wow, this is great food.” But because this is neither a political nor a rant blog (I’ll leave that to the professionals), I’ve decided to instead to do a series on school food alternatives. Most of this series will be simple cooking tutorials on how to make simple, delicious small meals, but I will also venture out into the community and sample what is available around campus.

Can’t cook? No problem! These tutorials will be easy enough for even the most beginner of cooks. Just follow the steps and you’ll be cooking delicious food in no time!

 

So without further ado, let’s start avoiding school food and cooking!

We are going to start our cooking with aglio e olio. Aglio e olio is a very simple, Italian pasta dish made with olive oil and garlic. It is extremely easy to make and only requires five relatively cheap ingredients: olive oil, garlic, butter, salt, and spaghetti. These are the measurements for one serving of spaghetti.

1/2 tsbp butter

2 cloves sliced garlic

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp salt

2 tsbp olive oil

1 serving spaghetti (or pasta of your choice)

The first thing to do is to set a pot of water on the stove with about 3-4 cups of water. While you wait for the water to boil, that is when you will prepare your ingredients.

The first step is to mince and slice your garlic. The easiest way to mince (finely divided into uniform pieces) garlic is to lay a clove of garlic on a cutting board and press it down firmly with the flat side of your knife. Once sufficiently flattened, you can cross-cut the garlic into smaller pieces. The smaller the pieces, the more pungent it becomes. So if you really like your garlic, make sure to mince it very small!

The next step is to slice the other cloves. You will want to slice the cloves as thinly as possible.

Once your garlic is ready, it is time to cook the pasta. By now, your water should be boiling quite nicely, especially if your knife skills aren’t that great. You can measure out a single serving of pasta by creating a circle with your thumb and forefinger in the size of a US quarter. Drop it into the boiling water.

While the pasta is cooking, place the 1/2 tbsp of butter in a shallow frying pan under medium heat. As the butter is melting, place the slices of garlic in the butter. Most recipes will probably use olive oil instead of butter, but I find that butter brings out a smooth quality out of the garlic and adds a far smoother taste to the aglio e olio. You will want the garlic slices to be lightly brown, just until the edges of the garlic start to turn brown. You’ll really be able to smell the garlic well.

When the pasta is just about al dente (about 7-9 minutes on medium heat), strain and throw into the garlic butter infusion. Add the rest of the ingredients, minced garlic, salt, and olive oil and cook for another 2-3 minutes under medium heat, or 4-5 minutes if you want the garlic to taste sweeter and less pungent.

And that’s it! Just plate it and eat it!

You can add black pepper and grated parmesan to your liking. For about $10, you can make this delicious and cheap meal from your dorm or your kitchen. Now get to eating!