Simple, delicious and comes together quickly. Find pitted Castelvetrano olives in the Deli grab ‘n go, or with pits (and brine) in the Olive Bar.
Want to make it a Dirty Dog (as in Hair of the…)? Dress it up with breadcrumbs and ultra-crispy fried egg with a runny yolk. Now if you only had big enough martini glasses to serve this in…
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti or linguine
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup torn pitted Castelvetrano or green olives, plus 1/3 cup olive brine
- 4-5 cloves garlic, sliced
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 1/3 cup gin or vodka
- 2/3 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs plus 2 Tbsp butter, or ¾ cup salad bar croutons, crushed
- 4 fried eggs, for serving
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
- If using breadcrumbs, heat a large skillet and add 2 Tbsp butter. Once melted, add panko and toss to coat. Add a little salt and pepper and let brown slightly. Remove from heat to stop cooking, set aside. Clean skillet.
- In skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add olives, garlic and lemon zest. Cook, stirring frequently, about 3 – 4 minutes until fragrant.
- Add gin or vodka and cook, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes, until reduced by about half.
- Add olive brine, pasta and ½ cup reserved pasta water. Cook, tossing constantly and adding more pasta water as needed, until pasta is coated and sauce is emulsified, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in Parmesan, parsley and butter until butter is melted. Toss in ½ cup panko (if using). Top each serving with remaining panko, fried egg and more Parmesan before serving.