Pasta al limone
vxdaOriginal pasta al limone from the Amalfi Coast — creamy thanks to an emulsion of butter, Parmesan, and pasta cooking water, without added cream.
Ingredients
- 400 g spaghetti
- 3 pcs lemon
- 80 g butter
- 80 g parmesan
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
Instructions
Gotowanie makaronu
- 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook al dente, about a minute less than indicated on the package.
- 2
Before draining, reserve at least a cup of pasta cooking water — this will create the creamy sauce.
Sos i połączenie
- 1
Finely grate the zest of two or three lemons (only the yellow part) and squeeze the juice from about one and a half lemons.
- 2
In a large skillet, melt the butter with olive oil over low heat, add the grated zest, and heat for about a dozen seconds until it releases its aroma.
- 3
Pour in the lemon juice and about half a cup of pasta water, then stir vigorously until a uniform, slightly cloudy emulsion forms.
- 4
Transfer the drained pasta to the skillet, remove from heat, and gradually add the grated Parmesan, stirring vigorously constantly (mantecatura).
- 5
Add pasta water little by little until the sauce becomes smooth and velvety and coats the pasta.
- 6
Season with pepper and salt, add basil leaves, and serve immediately.
Notes
The secret to a creamy consistency is adding Parmesan off the heat and stirring vigorously (mantecatura) — this prevents the cheese from clumping.
Use unwaxed, preferably organic lemons, as you will be using the zest. The original version from Amalfi does not contain cream.