Spaghetti al Limone

The backyard lemons continue to be in full bloom. As in the last post, I am always looking for ways to use up the backyard bounty of lemons.

I got this recipe via email from my Milk Street subscription. What appealed to me were the simple ingredients, quick preparation time (hello weeknight meal!), bright flavors, and the use of a lemon.

With this recipe, I also appreciated the use of starchy pasta water along with a generous bit of butter to thicken the sauce instead of some recipes which call for cream. This leads to a cleaner, lighter, and brighter finish.

This Italian-based recipe comes from the Campania region of Italy where there is an abundance of lemon trees along the Amalfi Coast.

Spaghetti al Limone (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons salted butter, divided
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
• red pepper flakes, to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon to start then adjust accordingly)
• 10-12 ounces spaghetti or linguini
• 3/4 cup dry white wine (plus extra for the chef!)
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 4-6 tablespoons lemon juice (start with 4 to judge your personal tolerance for lemon)
• 3/4 - 1 cup of chopped parsley (or basil leaves)
• finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

• Prep lemon zest, herbs, and mince garlic. Preheat 2 quarts of salted water for pasta.
• In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons butter (I also added some olive oil to the mixture). Add the minced garlic and cook stirring for about 30 seconds.
• Add the red pepper flakes and cook for one more minute
• Add the white wine and simmer until reduced, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Bring pasta water to a boil. Cook the pasta until 2-3 minutes short of the directions (pasta will continue to cook later in the skillet).
• As pasta nears time, ladle off 1 1/2 cup of pasta water then drain pasta
• Return the skillet to medium high heat, stir in the reserved pasta water, and bring to a simmer. Add the drained pasta and stir to mix. 
• Lower the heat until gently simmering.
• Add 2 remaining tablespoons of butter,  a very generous grind of black pepper, the lemon juice and zest, and the parsley.
• Continue to simmer until the sauce has thickened and the extra water has evaporated. This is a key step. You don't want a watery sauce so simmer until the pasta glistens with starch and fat and the sauce has thickened. This can take 5 to 10 minutes depending on the heat level. Be patient and wait until all water is evaporated.
• Transfer to serving dishes and serve with some finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Garnish with a lemon slice or a sprig of fresh parsley or basil