The most superb linguine and clam sauce I ever had was with John at Nobbs Hill Café in San Francisco. Its flavor was so amazing! I had enjoyed clam sauce at a number of wonderful restaurants both here and in Europe, and this was the most delectable clam sauce I’d ever eaten.

I asked the server to tell me what they did to bring out the beautiful mellow garlic flavor, because clearly it was magical. The chef very graciously came to our table to explain.

“Fresh garlic sautéed slowly in fine olive oil.”

What? Certainly he was not telling me his cooking secret!

He was however. Fresh garlic. Fine olive oil – extra virgin. Extra virgin . . . refined, so it would not break down as quickly when heated. Sautéed slowly. That was the secret.

The chef knew that even extra virgin olive oil will break down at temperatures above 225° F. and not only would their subtle phenols be destroyed, but the higher temperatures would add a degree of bitterness to what should be the garlic’s mellow taste.

He explained that no matter how hectic it might be in his kitchen, he would never cut corners by turning up the heat under his slowly cooking fresh garlic and olive oil.

His disciplined, simple approach to cooking resulted in the absolute best linguine and clam sauce I ever had.

Garlic and Olive Oil Simplicity
We humans tend to complicate matters. We tend to think there are deeper secrets than the simple actions others take to succeed. When people ask me what I eat for dinner and I say, 1 serving lean protein, 4 servings fresh vegetables, and one serving of a complex carbohydrate, they are often taken aback. “Certainly, you are doing something else and are not telling me! Where’s the protein powder? ” Where do you buy your fish? Do you really have a carbohydrate at night? Do you eat organic vegetables only? This can’t be! Eating is so much more complex!

Well Not Really
Simplicity allows us to appreciate the execution more than the cleverness of our plan. Complexity is mostly about being clever. Simplicity is about execution. In eating simply, and in eating cleanly, lays appreciation in the enjoyment of eating.

The only place for complexity is in the minds of the uninitiated. Surgery can be complex, but not to surgeons. Building huge structures can be complex, but not to architects and engineers. Rocket science is complex, but not to rocket scientists.

What you and I do at the dinner table and what we need to focus on is back to the basics of feeling good about what we enjoy eating that is healthful and diverse. There’s no room for complex surgery at the dinner table. There’s no room for building huge structures at the dinner table. And there’s no room for rocket science at the dinner table. There’s only garlic, good olive oil, and slow cooking. And hopefully a dollop of interesting conversation.

Don’t Misunderstand – Simple Isn’t Easy
Simple doesn’t mean easy. Telling the truth is simple. Telling the truth can be both difficult and painful. Being clear and helpful often isn’t easy either. Try writing instructions for tying a shoe and you will see that it’s not easy. And yet, shoe-tying is simple – for most folks.

Listening to people is simple. Actually doing it isn’t easy. It often requires self-discipline.
Apologizing is simple. Yet, sometimes it is the hardest thing in the world to do.
Letting go is simple but it is never easy.

Garlic and Olive Oil
The more times we can eat with the simplicity of garlic slowly sautéed in olive oil the better our healthy life becomes. The better our healthy life becomes, the more “happy normal” we become. Getting rid of food complexity and too many choices in our lives is far more valuable than devising a clever eating scheme that gets our attention briefly, but has no staying power.

For an interesting read that focuses on taking the mystery out of eating, author Michael Pollan in his book Food Rules: an Eater’s Manual, does an incredible job of helping readers apply 3 basic yet often ignored food rules to their daily lives:

1. Eat food (you’ll be surprised how what we often eat is not really food).
2. Eat mostly plants.
3. Don’t eat too much.

There’s little scientific research in his book stating that “humans haven’t needed nutrition science to survive in the past several millennia, and neither do we,” however, Dr.Pollan, professor at the University of California, Berkeley, does refer readers to his other book In Defense Of Food for the science behind his rules in his more recent book.

One Last Secret
Complexity is usually just a lot of simple things played out in a smart sequence.
So, what’s your garlic and olive oil?

Looking good, feeling good and performing great is central to good health!