Fettuccine with smoked salmon and arugula

A tasty quick pasta for lunch, this aglio olio e peperoncino gets a boost from smoked salmon. Fresh arugula adds a pleasant, nutty flavor.

<Ingredients>

160-180 g fettuccine
Small handful (50-70 g) smoked salmon
Large handful arugula
2 cloves garlic
2 red chili peppers (whole or sliced)
2/3-1 tbsp salt (to boil pasta, not in photo)
Pepper, to taste (not in photo)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil (not in photo)


<Directions>
1.
Boil plenty of water to cook pasta.

2.

In the meantime, prepare garlic. Cut the root end, and smash with the side of a knife.

Now you can remove the skin effortlessly.

3.

In a frying pan, put olive oil and garlic, and cook on low until lightly brown. Tilt the pan so that garlic is immersed in oil.

4.

When water boils, add salt and pasta, and cook on medium high heat.

Check the pasta package for cooking time, with the goal of removing pasta 1 minute before the package indicates.
Here, the package says 8 minutes, so you want to drain pasta after 7 minutes.

5.

Break smoked salmon into smaller pieces (2-3 cm).

6.

When garlic lightly browns, add red chili pepper.

Add 2-3 tbsp of pasta cooking water, and quickly shake the frying pan to emulsify the liquid.

When the sauce is ready (emulsifies), remove from heat.

7.

Drain pasta, add to the frying pan, and mix well.

Add smoked salmon, and toss.

Add arugula, and toss.

Grind pepper to taste, toss, and serve on plates.

<Notes>

• Because pasta will be added to hot oil sauce later, boiling for 8 minutes as the package indicates would make pasta too soft at the end.
• No additional salt is needed. Salt from the pasta cooking water and salmon should be enough.
• The amount of dry pasta for one serving as a main meal is 80-100 g (300-380 kcal). A basic aglio olio e peperoncino (without cheese) made with 100 g dry pasta is almost 500kcal. Additional ingredients could increase the number dramatically.
• This tastes good with lox-type smoked salmon, too.
• If using smoked salmon that comes in liquid, grill it first to eliminate the fishy smell and taste.