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Do not, under any circumstances, be hungry when you see the movie “Chef.”
You’ll be ravenous just minutes into it, and by the middle of the film, the borborygmi (fancy word for growling and rumbling from your stomach) will be cacophonous and drown out the sound track. Soon your body sounds will disturb other movie watchers.
Loved the movie (not surprising, since it is about a high-octane chef who spectacularly flames out and culinarily reawakens as the owner of a Cuban-centric food truck he names El Jefe). Highly recommend you see it, since, if you’re reading this, you love cooking / thinking / dreaming / fantasizing/ eating food. It’s a great date movie, released in May 2014, and every time I flip by it on TV, I stop to watch. You can also watch it on streaming services.
Memorable food peppers the film, all of it developed by chef Roy Choi (who started the food truck craze with his wildly popular Kogi Korean taco truck in Los Angeles). You’ll want it all, from the signature sandwich called Mojo Pork Cubanos to the Tostones with Chile Vinegar (fried green plaintain) and the Berries in Cream with Caramel Dust. Caramel dust? I am all in.
But what stayed on my mind long after I saw the movie is the simple classic Italian dish, a plate of pasta that Jon Favreau’s chef character Casper serves to Scarlett Johansson’s restaurant hostess/girlfriend character Molly. It’s a clothing-on erotic scene to watch him prepare a skillet full of this pasta for his gorgeous girlfriend. When she closes her eyes, tastes it and moans in ecstasy at the sensual flavor of it, you imagine…well…we’ll leave it to your own imagination.
Choi makes the dish (which he calls “transcendence through a handful of humble ingredients”) every Sunday night at home, and Favreau asked for it specifically for the film so Casper could impress Molly. “He knew it would get her where he wanted her,” says Choi.
Let’s have what SHE’S having for dinner.
Recipe: Pasta Aglio e Olio from the movie Chef
Summary: Pasta Aglio e Olio translates as spaghetti with garlic and oil in Italian). Traditional, simple, luxurious, easy-to-make meal with ingredients you always have on hand.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried spaghetti
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 12 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1 cup fresh parsley, minced
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 2 lemons
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the spaghetti, cooking until al dente, 8-10 minutes. Drain.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and stir frequently until the garlic is golden brown. Add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
- Add the drained spaghetti directly to the pan. Toss until spaghetti is thoroughly coated with the garlic oil.
- Remove pan from heat, add the parsley and Parmesan and toss well. Check for flavor and adjust the salt if necessary. Squeeze lemons on to taste. Garnish with more Parmesan.
- Serves 4.
Recipe source
This is a classic Italian recipe. This particular version is the official recipe created for and made in the film “Chef” by Chef Roy Choi. For more info, visit the movie website.
Other recipes from the movie ‘Chef’
Six pivotal recipes from the movie are in a free e-cookbook available at Bakespace. Look for the “Chef the Film Cookbook: Recipes from El Jefe.”
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Diet type: Vegetarian
Number of servings (yield): 4
Culinary tradition: Italian
My rating
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This was originally published on Shockingly Delicious June 27, 2014 and has been refreshed and republished today.
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At ShockD, you’ll find scrumptious, tried & true, "scary good" recipes, tips and coaching to make YOU a fabulous home cook! Don't blame me if you need a 12-step program to wean yourself away!
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What a simple, yet delicious dish! Adding this to my dinner line up for the week!
I would love to try this dish. Pasta is one of my favorite things to eat and cook.
Oh my goodness, this looks absolutely amazing!! I LOVE it!
This Pasta Aglio e Olio is seriously making me hungry!
This looks and sounds delicious and I love how quick and simple it is to make!
I just love simple pasta dishes like this! And how have I not seen this movie yet??
Carrie,
This is a major hole in your life. See it soon!
Thank you so much for sharing this!
OMG looks amazing girl. Can’t wait to put this inside me.
This looks incredibly delicious! I love this! looks so good!
What an easy, yet sophisticated recipe for dinner! This quickly became a favorite in our home!
Such a delicious meal that never gets old! I will be having this again this coming week!
This recipe looks so delicious! I need to give it a try. And find out more about that movie Chef!
Erin,
It will take you about 5 minutes to put it together, and that hardest part is waiting a couple of hours for it to macerate. Be strong…you can do it.
I am loving this recipe! Looks heavenly!
I read red pepper flakes. Is it spicy? What I can substitute with it? I can’t eat spicy foods.
Melissa,
Just leave those out. The dish will still be outstanding!
I just love the Scarlett Johansson role.
I’d definitely eat this for dinner any night of the week!
Sandra,
Me too! Or tuck it into a Tupperware for lunch.
Oooh, with all that garlic I’ll bet that pasta is fabulous!
Love this blog post and this looks so good!
Loved the movie and love this simple pasta dish. SO delicious!
Oh yes please! Had me at pasta
What a great idea! I am a lover of all things pasta!
I am loving this. I will be making it in the very near future!
As a pasta lover I really need to make this! Sounds so delicious
and loved the movie 
Perrine
Nana made it with anchovy melted in the oil for nuttiness….and Romano cheese…this is a long time peasant italian meal made for decades
I’ve been making this traditional classic Italian dish for years, long before the movie. The Chef didn’t “create this for the movie. How ridiculous to state otherwise.
Shirlz,
Of course it is an old and classic recipe. Just like that Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan movie….was it “Sleepless in Seattle?” — introduced a lot of people to Tiramisu, I think this movie has the chance of introducing people to a simple pasta dish they might not have ever had before. No one is claiming this dish was invented by or for the movie “Chef.” This is simply the version from the movie. I think it’s also a dish, like many, where each cook might make it slightly differently, with their own personal tweaks. Do you have special tweaks you do to make yours personalized?
This is the exact recipe I have been making for years only I know the recipe as Death By Garlic Pasta.
Renee,
That’s a testament to its greatness if you’ve been making it for years! No doubt it is a classic recipe, simple and intuitive, like all the best ones. Right?
Love the film and its food, but parmesan ain’t vegetarian.
Adrian, speaking as a vegetarian… Parmesan is a dairy product, in which vegans choose not to eat or drink. Hope that helps clear your thoughts. Vegetarian – no meat. Veganism – no eggs or dairy products.
Stephanie,
Thank you for your answer! Parmesan, it turns out, is a tiny bit tricky. See my answer to Adrian, for a fuller description of Parmesan’s attributes, and how to get around them if it matters to you. Also, when explaining veganism, I like to use the example, “Vegans don’t eat anything that had a mother or have eyes,” because animal products like honey are also banned for vegans, even though the bees are not killed to harvest it. (Wait, though…potatoes have eyes, and vinegar has a mother. Sigh.)
Yo, Adrian (sorry, I had to do it),
You are strictly correct. Made traditionally, imported Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano, is made with 3 ingredients: milk, salt and animal rennet, which is an enzyme that helps milk separate into curds and whey. If it is important to you, you can find animal-free rennet (vegetable rennet or microbial rennet will be listed as an ingredient). A few animal-rennet-free Parmesan options: Organic Valley Shredded Parmesan, Trader Joe’s Grated Parmesan, Belgioioso Vegetarian Parmesan (a grate-it-yourself veg wedge). Or you could try some nutritional yeast. Or leave off the cheese! Make this recipe your own.
Holy Hell is Scarletts breath gonna smell!
Steven,
Yes, but he is eating it too, so it’s all good.
Plus…and let me just say this slowly…Scarlett Johansson.
Are you really questioning?
[…] I was thrilled when I found the exact recipe for the dish on Shockingly Delicious. I’ve made it a couple of times now, but this time I decided to add a little variation with […]
My son loves pasta and I try different varieties for him. This is easy to make yet flavorful! I am yet to see the movie though.
Divya,
Dependinng on his age, you might like to watch it with him, since the main character’s son in the movie is in the elementary school age range. The son is the reason this chef becomes successful in his new career as a food truck operator.
Thank you very much for the recipe
i would like to try it..
many cook pasta aglio, olio e peperoncino with the recipe shown in the movie. That’s quite good, but in my opinion the taste can be much improved if the garlic is NOT BURNT. My recipe? put TOP quality olive oil in a pan, add the minced peppers and warm it up. As soon as it fries, cut the flame and add the garlic. Toss the pasta and serve with parsley to your liking (no parsley is ok, even better IMO).
Even faster? ok. Just serve the spaghetti on the dish, add minced garlic, oil and peppers while still steamy. a 20 seconds recipe
This dish is NOT supposed to be eaten with parmesan or any other cheese, because the taste doesn’t fit with the garlic, and also because there’s already the oil (which should be abundant) as the fat component in the dish. If the oil is good (extra-virgin olive oil), there’s no need for added flavor. You should toss the spaghetti in the pan for no more than 30 seconds, medium flame.
Valentino,
I can see this recipe struck a nerve with you. Thanks for your ideas, and you have convinced me to try it your way with pepperoncino. (I will just note that this is the recipe from the movie “Chef,” and I don’t know that the movie people are claiming it as a strict Italian replica. It’s just the recipe that the Chef character serves to the restaurant hostess in a memorable scene.) Mangia!
[…] there was one scene that I loved. Jon Favreau as Chef, Carl Casper prepares an AMAZING looking pasta dish for his girlfriend, Scarlett Johansson as Molly. This scene made the pasta look so mouth watering […]
Chef the Movie
David,
I just watched it again last night! It finally came onto Netflix! Great movie. Love it.
in the movie, he used vidalia onions
YDC,
Hmmm…really? I didn’t remember that. I’ve been waiting for the movie to show up on Netflix so I can watch it again! I thought it was so good…I could watch it several more times and I’m sure I will get new things each time. (This recipe was provided to me by the movie company as the official recipe.)
Hey!
Thank you for posting this! It is one of my fav recipes from the movie. However when I tried making this at home the parsley and Parmesan sort of clumped together (with the olive oil) rather than coating the pasta beautifully (the way it should have!). Would you maybe know what I am doing wrong? I really would love to recreate this in my kitchen.
Thanks so much!
Shraddha,
I would be tempted to plate the oiled-up pasta, and then sprinkle on the parsley and Parmesan, stirring it in as I ate it. See if that works for you! Hope that helps.
I might have cooked this wrong, but I prefer the version where some of the sphagetti water is added to the cooked garlic and olive oil – makes sort of a sauce that you simmer off. In this recipe, I tend to have burnt noodles in the pan.
Swanky,
Sure, you can do that! I haven’t burned the noodles, but sure, do it with a splash of pasta water.
I bought the movie on iTunes and watch it on my iPad during my commute. I saw it twice in the theater as well. I have yet to make this recipe but I definitely will soon! Thanks for all the tips. I think I will added lemon zest in lieu of the juice…just to give it a light lemon flavor
Nicole,
Sounds good!
Awesome movie and I am so making this Pasta Aglio, cannot wait to taste it
Tamara,
I LOVED that movie! So glad you are making this easy pasta! Come back and tell me how you like it!
Recipe for 4 people – sorry for my english by google
Cut 2 o 3 cloves of garlic no 12 in small pieces;
Put them in a pan;
Add half a cup of extra virgin olive oil
After two minutes, add chilli
Bake until golden brown
Switch off fire
After cooking the pasta (al dente) put it in the pan
Council – always always always hold a espresso cup of pasta water to add to the pan (even more than a espresso cup if the sauce is dry)
mash up and cook for 2 or 3 minutes (“mantecare” in italian – is very important)
Add a bit of fresh parsley
serve at the table put parmigiano if you want
No lemon in ajo e ojo!
No lemon and Parmigiano!!!!
A bit versions of Ajo and Ojo (Aglio e Olio in Rome)
1) In a frying pan with the garlic add a little anchovy paste
2) After you put the garlic in the pan a bit of fresh tomato diced
3) Put the black olives and few capers with garlic and then add fresh tomatoes and cook 5 minutes (name: spaghetti alla puttanesca)
4) With garlic put tuna and cook for 5 minutes (pasta al tonno) and then put fresh tomato or lemon but no lemon + tomato always OR!
5) In the pan you can put anything you want and create new recipes – example put bacon and zucchini when the garlic is done and let cook (adding a little pasta water to cook the zucchini well)
6) Spaghetti with clams – too hard for my english!
Silvia,
Thanks for your recipes! DELICIOUS! I realize you object to lemon and Parmigiano in this dish, but this is the recipe demonstrated in the movie, and devised by the chef, so we are going to have to give him some leeway to play with it, OK?
Love all of your authentic variations on the theme! Thank you so much!
ahahhhah ok ego te absolvo (joke)! Saturday I’m going to see this movie!!
Thanks for your reply. I read many of the recipes on your blog and are very good. Saturday, after having seen the film, I will prepare one of your recipes!
Silvia,
I would be HONORED if you made one of my recipes! Can’t wait to hear what you pick!
What is the tool used to “stack” the pasta when serving this dish?
Jo,
It’s been awhile since I saw the movie, but if memory services, he used chopsticks to sort of twist it into that great shape on the plate! Now I want to watch it again!
You can see the tongs he used in the picture above… the same tongs he used to toss the pasta in the garlic oil…. and I didn’t see any cheese added in the movie…. just red pepper flakes salt pepper and lemon juice.
that is a carving fork
John,
Right, but it works for him to plate his pasta in a pretty shape!
[…] to make a mess out of my kitchen and cook up a spaghetti carbonara which was inspired by the movie Chef that I saw on my flight back home. This seriously can’t be healthy to eat at this early in […]
Don’t put lemon in algi’olio. It may have given the dish cimematic flare but I am guessing Scarlett was acting when she enjoyed the dish.
M,
Ha! Well, to each his or her own! I actually liked the spark from the lemon juice!
It was so great to meet you this weekend! I enjoyed our conversations, and hope you have safe travels back home. Great movie, great recipe!!!
Thanks Susan! Right back atach. Adored meeting you in person!
Hmm, having been raised in an Italian household, this is what we had for a quick lunch after a long morning at swim practice! It is the earliest memory I have (and my kids, as well) of eating spaghetti noodles.
Still a comfort food after all these years!
Gina,
I love your anecdote and memory!
I’m sold, Dorothy–you make me want to 1) make this pasta and 2) watch this movie!
Kirsten,
You MUST do both. The movie is non-negotiable.
I’ll have what she’s having.
Jolly,
Me too!
Still haven’t seen the movies but I know what I’m having for dinner tonight.
Jude,
You HAVE to see the movie!
I LOVE your photos!
Sue,
I must confess those photos are from the film. Hope you try the recipe!
Can’t wait to try this!
Karen,
It’s a classic!
I must go see this movie, I hope they show in our small town… but if not, Netflix at some point will come to the rescue…
this is one of my favorite pastas, at least it was – after getting married to Phil, who cannot quite have garlic without suffering a lot later, I abandoned it. sometimes I make it using lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and olive oil only. Not the same, but still very tasty….
Sally,
You MUST MUST see this movie! I am going to be all over it for repeated watchings once Netflix has it, too.