Main dishes
Aglio e olio - Polish version - with bacon and chilli
A homemade version of the classic aglio e olio, but in Polish — with crispy bacon, garlic, a chilli pepper, and fresh parsley. A simple pasta dish made from a few ingredients, ready in a dozen or so minutes. Perfect when you want to make something quick, spicy, and satisfying.
Method
1
Cook the pasta in salted water al dente.
2
Cut the bacon into cubes or strips. Put it in a dry pan and fry over medium heat until it turns golden and becomes slightly crispy.
3
Peel the garlic and slice it thinly or finely chop it. Slice the chili pepper. If you don’t want the dish to be very spicy, remove the seeds.
4
Add the olive oil, garlic, and chilli to the fried bacon. Fry briefly over low heat, only until the garlic starts to smell fragrant. Be careful not to burn it, because it will become bitter.
5
Place the cooked pasta on a plate and add on top the bacon, chilli, olive oil, and garlic—then mix everything together.
6
Season with pepper and optionally a little salt, but be careful, because the bacon is already salty.
7
Finally, add chopped fresh parsley and mix gently once more.
8
Serve right away, preferably hot. You can sprinkle with Parmesan or keep it simple with parsley.
Tips
💡 The most important thing in this recipe is to not burn the garlic. It should only be lightly sautéed and release its aroma into the fat.
Warnings
⚠️ If you use a very hot chili pepper, add less first, and then you can add more if needed.