Garlicky, savory, and done in 20 minutes! This Vigan longganisa aglio olio is worth the garlic breath.
Ever thought about Vigan longganisa outside of breakfast? It has a lot more to offer. It's one of the more intensely flavored longganisas out there — deeply garlicky, savory, and not even slightly sweet — the kind that makes you plan out when you eat it to avoid having breath smelling like garlic for days. As it cooks, it renders its own fat, and that fat carries all of that flavor with it. Use it as your sauce base and you barely need to do anything else. Toss pasta in and every strand gets coated.
Go for something savory and garlic-forward, and leave the hamonado-style longganisa for breakfast. Any pasta shape works, but long pasta lets you twirl and pick up the bits of longganisa. Finish it off with a fried egg on top, runny yolk and all, and let it break into the pasta as you eat.
Remove the longganisa from their casings and heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and spread the longganisa out, breaking it into small pieces. Cook until the meat starts to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and chili flakes (optional) and cook until the meat has a crust and the garlic is golden, about 2 more minutes.
Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous pinch of salt. Add pasta and cook 2 minutes less than the package instructions. Before draining, scoop out at least ½ cup of pasta water. Drain, then toss with a drizzle of olive oil to keep it from clumping.
Fry egg: In a separate pan, fry the eggs to your liking. Set aside.
Combine: Add the drained pasta to the pan with the longganisa. Toss to coat, adding pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce comes together. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Top with a fried egg before serving.
