Spaghetti al limone

Another italian pasta dish that relies heavily on good quality ingredients. If you can find a nice "sweet" tasting lemon this is a great little dish. Those small acidic ones are not good here.

Something like a large lemon from the southern italian Amalfi coast which will give you a silky and a smooth tasting lemon flavored sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

– 1 organic lemon with a skin that can be grated

– a knob or two of good butter, some use olive oil

– pasta cooking water

– spaghetti (something nice, like from De Cecco) or tagliolini, linguine etc.

– salt and cracked black pepper (optional)

– a handful of basil leaves, mint leaves would also be a great option

– grated parmigiano reggiano (pecorino would work too)

PREPARATION:

More of a technical dish, this one. Sauce is an emulsion between the starch of the pasta, butter, water and lemon juice. NOT ACIDIC BUT SWEET, SMOOTH AND LEMON TASTING.

A large pan -> moderate heat -> grate the zest of your lemon, put inside -> add butter, let it melt -> add some torn basil leaves -> lightly fry the grated lemon zest (without color!) -> add a bit of cold water (we will be cooking this one, "pasta risottata"- style -> add a bit of salt -> don't let the pasta stick to the bottom of the pan -> add a bit of lemon juice -> swirl the pan around to release of the starches -> add more lemon zest and juice (optional step at this stage) -> toss (this is very important for the creaminess of the sauce) -> turn the heat off, wait a bit -> add the grated cheese -> toss and add a drizzle of water if needed (to loosen up the sauce a bit) -> plate up -> enjoy

So delicious and creamy. A feast of flavors!😋