SPAGHETTI AL LIMONE

My son loves lemon. He also loves pasta. Knowing this, I decided this was a pasta dish I finally had to make. Spaghetti al Limone hails from southern Italy where the lemon crops are predominantly found. This pasta uses both lemon zest and lemon juice to build the sauce. Cream, parmesan cheese, and a bit of pasta water round the sauce out. It’s a simple pasta dish with a creamy, lemony flavor. Very pleasant and very delicious. And yes, my son loves it.

 Ingredients
1 lb dried spaghetti
5 tbsp butter, cold, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup lemon juice 
¾ cup half and half
½ cup grated parmesan
2 tbsp + ¼ tsp salt, divided
¼ tsp black pepper

Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of butter. Once it has melted, add the lemon zest. Allow the zest  to cook for about a minute, until it becomes slightly fragrant. Add the half and half, salt, and black pepper. Stir to incorporate all the ingredients, and allow it to come to a simmer. It should simmer in about 2-3 minutes.

Once the half and half is simmering, reduce the heat back to medium-low and slowly stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter one tablespoon at a time. Let each tablespoon fully melt into the half and half and thicken the sauce before adding the next tablespoon. Once all the butter is melted into the sauce and the sauce has begun to thicken, remove the pot from the heat until the spaghetti has cooked.

Fill a medium sized stock pot ½ to ⅔ of the way full with water. Bring to a simmer and then add 2 tablespoons of salt to ensure the water should is salty enough to flavor the pasta. Stir the water to make sure the salt is dissolved and then add in the dried spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti for about 10-12 minutes, until it is al dente.

Once the spaghetti is al dente, return the sauce to the heat, and add a ladle of the pasta water to the sauce. Stir the pasta water into the sauce to thicken it a little more. Using tongs or a pasta spoon, remove the spaghetti from the pot and add it directly onto the Dutch oven. Once all of the spaghetti is added to the sauce, toss it to coat with the sauce. Add ¼ cup of parmesan cheese along with another ladle of pasta water and stir it into the spaghetti and sauce to thicken further. Once it is fully melted into the spaghetti, add the other ¼ cup of cheese, and stir it into the spaghetti. 

Once the sauce has thickened and fully coated the pasta, remove it from the heat. Stir the lemon juice through the pasta. The pasta is finished. Serve portions in pasta bowls, and enjoy!