Aglio Olio e Peperoncino..?

I was watching a Japanese chef specialising in Italian cook aglio olio e peperoncino on a Japanese variety show yesterday that I realised I should do this post soon, or the fantastic four series would probably be carried forward till next year.

A quick chit-chat with your best friends Google and Wiki and you'll find that alio olio e peperoncino actually doesn't contain much else than, well, aglio (garlic), olio (oil) e peperoncini (chili peppers). And you will see that it's not really the case in my aglio olio e peperoncino. It's definitely not the authentic nor orthodox way to cook aglio olio e peperoncino, and actually, this was created from my extremely faint memory of aglio olio e peperoncino when I visited Italy some 5 years back. Maybe you could say the aglio olio e peperoncino served as the base of my "fancied-up" version. The recipe was first born out of desperation to finish a box of mixed fungi before they die out in the fridge and therefore the mushrooms. The sausages I added today are just a whim of fancy which happened to be in my freezer and add to a balanced, quick lunch. Of course, it wouldn't be a continuation of my pantry essentials series if I didn't use coriander, which is also an adaptation to my Chinese kitchen.

By the way, you have no idea how tangled my brain is from "saying" aglio olio e peperoncino so many times.

Aglio Olio e Peperoncino..?
(Serves 2)

2 portions dried spaghetti

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small chili padi, seeds discarded and finely sliced
5 - 6 cocktail sausages (you could use whatever you like), sliced into rounds
50g willow mushrooms, briefly rinsed and ends removed
1 bunch coriander, finely chopped
Pinch of salt

Grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

- Cook dried spaghetti in salted, boiling water until al dente.
- While the spaghetti is cooking, in a shallow frying pan, saute minced garlic and chili with olive oil over medium heat.
- When the garlic has turned golden brown and fragrant, add the sausages and mushrooms to pan and fry till cooked, about 3 - 4mins.
- Take about 1/2cup of the liquid from cooking the spaghetti and add to the sauteed ingredients.
- Add the chopped coriander and season with a pinch of salt.
- Drain the cooked spaghetti and add to the pasta dressing. Turn off the heat and toss to coat evenly with the dressing.
- Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.