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Vermicelli Aglio E Olio

A simple vermicelli dish flavored with garlic, olive oil, salt, and Parmesan cheese.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Garlic and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 25,665 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓

Vermicelli Aglio E Olio

Ingredients

Directions

Make the garlic oil

  1. Sauté garlic in olive oil for 10 minutes. Do not brown the garlic.

  2. Cover the pan and keep it hot.

Cook the pasta

  1. Add salt to rapidly boiling water.

  2. Gradually add vermicelli so the water continues to boil.

  3. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until the vermicelli is tender.

  4. Drain the vermicelli in a strainer.

  5. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water.

Combine and serve

  1. Stir the reserved water into the garlic‑oil mixture.

  2. Pour the mixture over the vermicelli and serve with Parmesan cheese and pepper.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

239Calories
10 gProtein
21 gFat
3 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  2. Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together17,451 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  3. Garlic + peppertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together27,090 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Clove + garlictop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,368 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  5. Clove + olivetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,866 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Garlic
Gives the oil its pungent aroma and flavour once gently sautéed.
Olive oil
Carries the garlic flavour and coats the pasta, adding richness.
Vermicelli
Forms the body of the dish, soaking up the garlic oil and cooking water.
Parmesan cheese
Adds salty, savoury depth that rounds out the oil.

The step that matters

Do not brown the garlic. Garlic that turns brown becomes bitter and acrid, and that flavour carries into the oil and the whole dish. Keeping it pale and gentle preserves its sweet, mellow aroma.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (garlic, olive, parmesan cheese, pepper):

  1. Basilfits better
  2. Oreganofits better
  3. Rosemaryfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against garlic, olive, parmesan cheese, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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