Olio, Aglio and Pepperoncino

"Its pepper-on-chi-no", said the waiter. If its CHino like in Gucci, then where is the 2nd C I wondered. Aglio and Olio sounded as alien as things could sound and the ever familiar pepper also was pronounced with a twist, as Mr. Italian pointed out. OA&P is how I ended my day in Florence yesterday, a delicioso sphaghetti. Some pasta finally after all the thin crust Margharitas in venice.

For a consummate vegetarian foodie that I am, the chesse in the Italian dishes had started to get to me. Pizza with toppings of cheese, pasta with grated Parmesan, risotto with melted cheese.. What would not taste good with cheese I wondered. With my non-existant knowledge of meat dishes and my chessy knowledge of the vegetarian dishes, my trip down to Italiano did not excite any gastronomic desires. The Margharitas - the only affordable, vegetarian dish - in Venice did nothing to salvage the image of veggie Italiano dishes in my mind.

What made the OA&P taste so good, I know not. Whether it was the cheap Italian wines and Limoncello acting or whether it indeed was the cooks culinary skills. At this point my adventures with the wines deserve a special mention, a series that would make a true wine connoiseur cringe at its mention. A round of Chianti Rosso, followed by a round of some white Chianti with an accompaniment of potato chips(for lack of anything better). Ah well, I anyways do not understand wines. Gimme a Bud or Stella anyday, but this trip was all about trying new things. The wines were quickly followed by a round of Limoncello(chello..). This I got the pronunciation right and the guy behind the counter gave me an approving nod. Limoncello was unlike nything I ever tasted before -  a lemon yellow, lemoney flavored drink. It came in a small shot glass looking very innocent, but did taste like a vodka mixed with lime. I read the "French Revolutions" as I sipped on. Halfway through the Limoncello my stomach started it own revolution, the grumblings could probably be heard over the music. A cursory glance at the menu and the only interesting dish was OA&P.

Enter OA&P. A lovely, lovely pasta. And as simple as it gets. The O stood for Olive oil, the A stood for garlic and the P for the pepper. And that is all the dish had. The flavor of roasted garlic and pepper in the warm olive oil with slightly undercooked sphaghetti was simply out of this world. The overflowing Olio in the dish.. Yummm... Would have licked the olio off my plate, if only I were at home. But then of course if I could whip up a meaty dish like that, I would not be going around to restaurants and making a fool of myself with all the wrong pronunciations.

At the risk of sounding like a tourist, I declare that OA&P was the best pasta I ever had. Three days down my Italian trip, having tasted only the Margharitas and not-so-different-from-ice gelatos, I realize I it is time to loosen my purse string and to get more experimental with food (and drinks of course). And off I head to try some new dish today. Here I come Firenze.