← Nouns Cooking · Italian

Ingredients

• 350 g Spaghetti
• 2 unwaxed lemons, finely zested and juiced
• 50 g Butter
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 60 g parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 1 handful basil leaves (optional)
• salt, for the pasta water

Method

1. Cook the spaghetti in a big pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente.
2. While it cooks, melt the butter with the oil and lemon zest in a wide frying pan over low heat. Keep it gentle so the zest perfumes the butter without browning.
3. Two minutes before the pasta is ready, add 4 tbsp lemon juice and a ladle of the pasta cooking water to the pan and swirl to make a cloudy, slightly thickened sauce.
4. Lift the spaghetti straight into the pan with tongs. Off the heat, add the parmesan and pepper and toss hard for 1 minute, adding more pasta water until the sauce clings and looks creamy.
5. Taste and add more lemon juice if you like it sharper. Serve with torn basil.

Tips

• Use unwaxed lemons, since the zest carries most of the flavour.
• Parmesan is made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian hard cheese if that matters to you.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

GialloZafferano Marcellina in Cucina