Three by Four: Garlic Breadcrumb Pasta
I'm going to be honest right now: I didn't love this recipe.
I liked the idea of adding something to a pasta to make it taste creamier and flavorful without, you know, adding cream. However, the prescribed doses of lemon, salt, and pepper were not really enough to make an impact upon trying the finished product. The next day (when I ate it for lunch at work) was better because the real garlic flavor had set in more fully, but I still added lemon to it.
I think next time I make this - because, let's be honest, it has me mixing breadcrumbs on top of pasta for a perfect storm of carbs so there will probably be a next time for this recipe - I'm going to just turn it into a lemon-garlic-breadcrumb pasta and save all the hemming and hawwing about flavors for something else.
Step One: Gather ingredients! This recipe calls for garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs, and pasta. I try to choose whole wheat pasta when I can, it makes me feel marginally better about eating half a pound of delicious pasta in one sitting - kidding! Sort of.
To actually make myself feel better about having a meal consisting solely of carbohydrates, I decided to use some slightly overripe heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella cheese that I already had in the kitchen to make a Caprese salad on the side.
Step Two: Chop parsley and garlic cloves. I wanted it to be really garlicky so I used about 5-6 cloves. Intense.
Step Three: Heat olive oil in pan and put garlic in hot oil. Remove pan from heat for about 3-4 minutes and let garlic sit in the hot pan. I honestly don't understand the point of this instruction except to potentially avoid overcooking the garlic, but, I followed it anyway.
Step Four: Add breadcrumbs to pan and let them cook until they are evenly browned, stirring only occasionally. They should look like this when they're ready:
Step Five: While waiting for the breadcrumbs to cook, chop up one (large) piece of mozzarella into slices and place on chopped tomato in dish. Add sliced basil and season with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Fancy, huh?
Step Six: Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil, breadcrumbs, and parsley over cooked pasta. Douse with fresh-squeezed lemon. Serve! Eat. Enjoy.
