Few spices are more beloved to our palates than garlic. The smell of sauteeing garlic is enough to make anyone immediately perk up for a meal, and just a few cloves can make all the difference in a dish. Celebrate this year’s National Garlic Day (April 19) with these mouthwatering garlic-centric recipes.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

“Aglio e olio” translates to “garlic and oil” – a fitting name for this extremely simple Italian classic. First, cook up some spaghetti in heavily salted water. Sautee about half a head of thinly sliced garlic in olive oil until golden brown, then add a shake or two of red pepper flakes. Scoop out a quarter cup of the pasta water, drain the spaghetti, and add the noodles and reserved water to the garlic and oil. Mix in half a cup of fresh parsley and an optional half a lemon, and voila. This is an extremely forgiving recipe, so feel free to play around with the ingredients and measurements.

Shrimp Scampi

Another Italian classic, this seafood dish tastes as delicious as it smells. It’s made by sauteing about four cloves of minced garlic in butter and olive oil, then adding white wine or broth, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, and the shrimp. The shrimp is cooked for one to two minutes or until the wine has reduced. Butter, lemon, and parsley are added just before removing the dish from the heat. It’s usually paired with pasta, but you can have it along with steamed vegetables as well.

Garlic Knots

These addicting bundles of bread, butter, and garlic are great as a snack or side dish. If you want, you can make your own dough, but it’s much quicker and simpler to use store-bought pizza dough. Divide the dough into 1 x 2.5 inch strips, roll them out, and tie them into knots. Let the dough rise and expand (for roughly 1 hour), then brush the knots with olive oil and bake in the oven. When they’re golden brown, take them out and brush them with a mixture of minced garlic, salt, and parsley sauteed in butter. These are best served warm!

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