When Monday Night Dinners Were Special

Growing up, I always looked forward to Monday night dinner.  My father was off at his Kiwanis Club meeting, and my mother almost always made spaghetti.  “Made” was a flexible word in her vocabulary.  In this case it meant using the can opener to get access to Chef Boyardee’s fully cooked spaghetti in tomato sauce. She plopped it into  a pot, heated it up and served it in bowls.  My brother and I were in heaven.

We had no idea that uncooked spaghetti was available at the grocery store.  I doubt our mother did either.  She certainly never bought any. 

As I grew older and ate meals with friends, not parents, I became aware of Italian food and the concept of dried pasta.  At my first job a new friend invited me for dinner at her apartment, and she showed me how to make Spaghetti with Garlic Sauce. I couldn’t believe how easy it was.  I tried it out myself a few days later.  When I got tired of it, I moved onto Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce.  Then I went to an Italian restaurant and studied the menu for other sauces.

Flash forward to today.  I can make pasta a dozen different ways.  But if I’m cooking it on a Monday night, chances are good that it will be Spaghetti with Garlic Sauce.

Spaghetti with Garlic Sauce – serves 2-3
1/2 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Grated Parmesan cheese

Fill a large pot half-full of water and begin heating over high heat.  When the water comes to a boil, add the spaghetti and cook for the length of time the directions tell you.
While the pasta is cooking, combine the olive oil, chopped garlic, paprika, salt and black pepper in a small frying pan and begin heating the mixture over low heat until the garlic begins to lightly brown, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and set aside..

When the pasta is done, drain and immediately return the cooked pasta to the large pot.  Stir in the garlic mixture, the chopped parsley (if using) and about 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately with extra Parmesan cheese.

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