A New House Specialty

I think I might have invented this dish. James loves spaghetti aglio e olio. It's a pretty good choice for a hot summer day like today so I started a saucepan going with olive oil, chopped garlic, butter, and crushed red pepper flakes. When I looked down into the bubbling deliciousness suddenly I pictured bagna calda, the Piedmontese dip for fresh vegetables flavored with garlic and anchovies. I mashed several filets of anchovies into the pan until they dissolved in the oil, added in another knob of butter, a bit of chopped parsley and a splash of starchy pasta cooking water and let my new sauce simmer for a couple minutes. I cooked both cauliflower and spaghetti in the boiling water (it is supposed to be a dip for veggies after all) and added my olive oil garlic sauce to the drained pasta and veg along with a handful of parmesan cheese. I gave everything a good toss in the warm pan and brought James a dinner he declared "really good." As in "Wow Honey, this is really good."