Pasta al Limone
Photo by Bakd&Raw by Karolin Baitinger on Unsplash
Bright, silky, done in the time it takes to boil the pasta. The kind of dish that makes you question every complicated thing you’ve ever cooked. Lemon, butter, Parmigiano. That’s it.
Prep: 5 min · Cook: 15 min · Serves: 2 · Skill: Low
Ingredients
- 200g spaghetti or linguine
- 80g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 unwaxed lemons, zest and juice
- 60g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
- Flaky salt & black pepper
- A few basil leaves to finish (optional)
Method
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until 2 minutes shy of al dente. Reserve 200ml of pasta water before draining.
- Make the sauce. In a wide pan over low heat, melt half the butter. Add the lemon zest and let it bloom for 30 seconds. Add a splash of pasta water and the lemon juice, and let it simmer gently for a minute.
- Finish the pasta. Add the drained pasta to the pan. Toss well over low heat, adding pasta water a little at a time. Add the remaining cold butter cubes and keep tossing — the cold butter emulsifies into the sauce and makes it silky. Remove from heat, add the Parmigiano, toss again. The sauce should coat the pasta in a glossy, clingy film.
- Season and serve. Taste — it should be bright and buttery with a definite lemon backbone. Season with flaky salt and black pepper. Serve immediately with extra Parmigiano and a few basil leaves if you have them.
On the lemon: Use unwaxed lemons and zest them generously. The zest does more work than the juice here — it carries the aromatic oils that make the dish sing. If your lemons are very acidic, start with the juice of one and taste before adding more.