We had our annual staff party at The Four Horsemen this past week and I was pretty strapped for time on my days off, but I was committed to trying to keep up with the weekly post and recipe since so many of you lovely folks have subscribed and supported. I’m sure you’ve been on the edge of your seats waiting for the next release. Right??
Anyway, I knew I needed a quick one this time, but also something delicious and seasonal. Something that hit all the right notes. Enter Pasta al Limone . I’ve been a huge fan of this simple dish since cooking it at Franny’s in Brooklyn about a decade ago. I never got tired of tasting it each night in the winter, even after cranking out hundreds (probably thousands) of them. On paper, you may be scratching your head as to how this particular pasta found its way into a special place in my heart. But the beauty, as usual, is in the simplicity. Just a few ingredients and a sauce that can be made in the time it takes to cook the noodles are pretty key factors. I think it’s also the fact that a pasta so bright and clean can arise from the gloom of winter here in New York. It really sings next to the braised stews, roasted cabbages and baked root vegetables. I also love a dish that hits this hard with an almost laughable lack of prep or planning. See; better than the sum of its parts.
So, what do you need? In my opinion, meyer lemons (or Sorrento, if you can find them) would be ideal. They’re sweet, juicy and electric and only really available in the winter. Regular old lemons will do just fine, though. You’ll also need olive oil, butter, pasta and parmigiano reggiano. I like to add black pepper at the end, but that’s optional. And that’s it. Lemony Alfredo sauce. Mmm.
For me, there are a couple of key places where this could go wrong. One, you over cook the pasta. Keeping it al dente for this dish is pretty crucial and makes for a better mouthfeel all around. There’s no real texture to the sauce, so if you overcook the pasta, everything will just be kind of soft. Two, you add the grated cheese when there isn’t enough pasta water in the pan and the heat is too high. This will cause the cheese to kind of seize up and get gummy. The whole process for this sauce and finishing the pasta is low and slow.
And that’s about it. Get cooking!
Spaghetti al Limone
Serves 2
