Spaghetti With Garlic and Basil Oil

 But first, look what I found at my grocery store the other day!  One of my favorite things in the entire world.....passion fruit.  We don't get them here very often but when we do, I splurge and buy some for myself.

 These are from New Zealand.  If you have never eaten one, you should give them a try if you ever see them.  Mmmmmm!!!  Looks like snot, tastes like heaven! I once was on a trail ride in a rainforest in Hawaii and there were passion fruits growing all around me.  I could pluck them off the trees as I rode by.  It's one of my fondest memories.

 Now to the spaghetti.  Pour 1/2 cup of olive oil into a heavy sauce pan.  Add 8-10 cloves of garlic in their skins, a sprinkling of red pepper flakes and a bunch of basil.  You can split the stalks with a knife and use them.  Bring to a low simmer and cook for about 20-30 minutes.  Turn the heat off and let it cool.  The longer it sits, the more the flavor will be infused.

 Make a simple tomato sauce.  I had this one frozen from last summer.

 When you are ready to use the oil, drain the solids.  Squeeze the garlic out of their skins, chop it and add it to the tomato sauce.

 Set the oil aside.

 Cook a box of spaghetti to slightly less than al dente and mix it with the warm tomato sauce.  Sprinkle in some diced fresh basil.

 Place a serving in a bowl.

 Drizzle it with the infused oil.

 Sprinkle it with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Mangia!
 Save the extra oil to use in many other ways.  It makes a good dipping sauce for fresh bread.












Comments

TARYTERRE said…
I haven't had spaghetti in so long. This looks scrumptious. And the passion fruit sounds intriguing. never had it. Lovely story you had about it. I love mangoes.
I've never had a passion fruit. Man, it looks like hell when you cut it open, eh?
Anonymous said…
So easy to make and soo delicious! and the tomato sauce always taste better with time just inb case there would be some left.

Passion fruits can be found in any grocery store here, I have no idea where they come from but I guess they might grow them in southern Europe since they are so common. Delicious!

I now have several passion fruit plants here in by my windows :-) I hope I'll get at least a few fruits this summer!

Have a great day!
Christer.
Craig said…
I love passion fruit too - so exotic.
Your pasta looks wonderful - just how it should be - well done.
Mary Ann said…
I'm going to try this recipe this week exactly as you showed it! I love spaghetti, even without meat, and fix it frequently for my lunch! Another good one... and I may steel myself to try the passionfruit!
Anonymous said…
I have never tried passion fruit,, I will try one next time I see them, tomorrow we will be at a big grocery store and I know they have some, I have recipe for passion fruit pavlova, I have always wanted to try it.

Your spaghetti sounds amazing, that oil must have smelled heavenly,
Guillaume said…
Here passion fruits are mainly used in fruit salads.

I LOVE the spaghetti. I need to try it.
Kay said…
Yuuum! This looks wonderful. I love the idea of the garlic and basil.

Someone gave us a couple of passion fruits, but I find them too sour for my taste. Perhaps I didn't let them ripen long enough. We call it lilikoi here. They make lilikoi butter with it or juice.