PASTA AL LIMONE

Pasta al Limone recipe - Lemon Pasta - deliciously simple and ready in minutes with creamy parmesan and fresh ground pepper. This is a great weekend or week night recipe that's all about creating the correct emulsion with the starchy pasta water so, take your time and you'll have tasty reward.

Course: dinner, lunch

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Pasta

Servings: servings

Ingredients

1 lemon
12 oz spaghetti or bucatini pasta but really you can use any pasta you like!
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 tbs unsalted butter
3 oz parmesan, freshly grated about 3/4 cup
Sel Magique Classic Blend to taste
Fresh ground black pepper
Basil for garnish, if desired

Instructions

Using a vegetable peeler, remove two 2"-long strips of lemon zest. Thinly slice each strip lengthwise into thin strands; set aside for serving. Finely grate remaining zest into a large pot (like a Dutch oven). Cut lemon in half and squeeze out enough juice to yield 2 Tbsp. into a small bowl; set aside.
Cook pasta in another large pot of boiling heavily salted water (use a regular sea salt), stirring occasionally, until very al dente (pasta will finish cooking in the sauce).
Meanwhile, add cream to pot with lemon zest and cook over medium heat, whisking often, until liquid is just beginning to simmer, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in butter 1 Tbsp. at a time until melted and sauce is creamy and emulsified. Remove from heat.
Just before pasta is al dente, scoop out 1½ cups pasta cooking liquid. Add ¾ cup pasta cooking liquid to cream sauce and return to medium heat. Using tongs, transfer spaghetti to pot with sauce (it’s okay if a little water comes along with it). Cook, tossing often and adding Parmesan little by little, until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy, about 3 minutes. If sauce looks tight, add 1–2 Tbsp. pasta cooking liquid. (Cream sauces tighten up very quickly as they cool, so it’s better to lean on the saucier side of things.) Stir in reserved lemon juice; season with a dash of Magique, don't over-salt.
Divide pasta among bowls. Season with fresh ground pepper, then top with reserved lemon zest strips, garnish with a little basil if desired. Serve and enjoy!