Pasta al Limone (Southern Italy)
This is a creamy take on the lemony pasta that comes from around Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Imagine a lighter, lemony version of Americanized alfredo sauce.
Equipment
- Microplane or Fine Grater
- Normal Kitchen Utensils
Ingredients
- 1 Lb Linguine, Spaghetti or Fettucine
- 1 Large Lemon Or 2 Medium Lemons
- 1 C Heavy Cream Half n Half Also Works
- 4 Oz. Parmesan Cheese Freshly Grated, About 1 1/4 C
- 4 Oz. Unsalted Butter
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Handful Parsley
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Chop the parsley.1 Handful Parsley
- Using the microplane or fine grater, zest the lemon (make sure it is washed first).1 Large Lemon
- Set a pot of water over high heat to boil. Once boiling, salt the water "like the ocean" and drop in the pasta. Boil to al dente per package directions.1 Lb Linguine, Spaghetti or Fettucine
- While the pasta boils, melt the butter with the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.4 Oz. Unsalted Butter, 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- Add the cream and stir in the parmesan cheese. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.1 C Heavy Cream, 4 Oz. Parmesan Cheese, Salt and Pepper to Taste
- Cook about 2 minutes before dropping the heat to low. Stir in half the chopped parsley.
- With about a minute left on the pasta, stir 1/4 C of the pasta water in with the cream sauce. Juice the lemon into the sauce. Stir in the lemon zest (reserving a pinch for garnish if you want to be fancy).
- Set aside another 1/2 C of pasta water and give the pasta a quick drain before adding it to the cream sauce. The pasta should still be wet after draining. You can also use tongs to transfer the pasta from the water to the sauce.
- Mix the pasta and sauce until fully combined. If the sauce it too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water. If too thin, simply cook a touch longer. It should be a little thinner than alfredo sauce.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve right away, garnished with the remaining parsley and any extra lemon zest and parmesan cheese. I like to add lemon weges on the side in case anyone wants more lemon flavor.