Nov 24, 2010

Spaghetti al limone recipe

The welcome freshness of the lemons brings a whiff of spring in the bleakness of this rainy mid winter. If you decide to make homemade pasta from scratch for this recipe, your guests will have an extra reason to feel pampered.



500 g (1.1 lb) spaghetti
The juice of 2 unwaxed lemons
80 g (1/4 cup) cold, unsalted butter
Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated


This dish will take 20 minutes to make. While you wait for the pasta water to boil with a fistful of coarse sea salt, cube the cold butter in small pieces, halve the lemons and finely grate the Parmigiano. No microplane for this, please use the classic cheese grater surface.

You'll be emulsifying the sauce in a large warmed bowl, so pour 1-2 ladles of starchy pasta water in the bowl to break the chill. Prep everything in advance because you'll be working quickly once the spaghetti is cooked.

Drain the spaghetti al dente with a pair of tongs (to retain pasta cooking water) and toss them into the bowl. Throw in the butter. Squeeze le lemons through a strainer to catch the seeds, tossing the squeezed halves in the bowl as you go. These will end up in the individual plates, too 

Work quickly: stir briskly using a wooden spoon to blend and coat the pasta, beating up the lemon halves as you do. This emulsifying phase will render a glossy, lemony, buttery coat to the spaghetti strands.

Plate quickly and pile a lot of finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano in each plate.


You can pair your lemony pasta with fruit-forward white wine and a veal second course, or a rich arugula salad with seasonal fruits, steamed prawns and flowers thrown in among the greens.

Buon appetito!

22 comments:

  1. Nice breath of spring!
    Love this dish :)

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  2. El-

    I have a lemon tree in my new backyard! I can't wait to try this recipe with my home grown lemons!

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  3. CChuck~
    Ha, I'm happy you like it, chef!

    ~~~

    Roseann~
    It'll taste a gazillion times better with homegrown lemons!
    Your buddy Tino wrote me, what a sweetie!

    Ciao

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  4. I am loving this - just the whiff of a lemon will make me smile. It's snowing and sleeting here. Yes, a breath of spring (even with a few calories) would be most welcome for dinner!

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  5. i love coming here.

    i wanted you to know.


    kj

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  6. Love this! I find it rich enough to warm me in the winter...yum

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  7. I love eating this! The first time I saw it in the menu in a restaurant, I thought that it was an odd combination to have fruit and pasta together, but it tastes just lovely :-)

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  8. Hi Lola-Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Italy...don't know if you celebrated it there.
    Love this refreshing and creamy limone pasta. All your dishes and photos are absolutely beautiful!

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  9. Lola-This is such a refreshing, yet comforting pasta. Love the way you prepared it, also the beautiful photo, as well.
    I will certainly make it!
    Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Claudia~
    I'm glad you like it. Lemons rock.
    ~~~

    KJ~
    And I love *you*
    ~~~

    Mobile Mama~
    This is comfort food too!
    ~~~

    Rinaz~
    I agree, a fabulous combination!
    ~~~

    Andras~
    Assolutamente!
    ~~~

    Rosaria~
    Indeed, a refreshing post-turkey meal!
    ~~~

    Elizabeth~
    Thank you so much for your lovely comments!
    We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here, but we Americans do, preparing the traditional menu on Saturday.

    Happy digesting!

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  11. My lemons will be ready soon...can't wait to try this.

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  12. Theresa~
    Oh, with home-grown lemons it will be a million times better!

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  13. excellent recipe. thank's for sharing. my favorite recipe... when will the mobile version get fixed... I am having difficulty with web version, that's why.

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  14. I would not throw the cooking water of lemon to give more flavor to the finished dish.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  15. Clear, informative, simple. Love your post!

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  16. It is so delicious. Thank for sharing. I love it. I'm going to try it now

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  17. I read your full post .It's very informative .This is one of my favourite recipe . I like this delicious food .

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  18. This dish are my very favourite food of all time. Yours look amazing! YUM! Thanks for sharing this tasty recipe! I cant wait to try it!

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