I've been posting here for a while and realized I haven't shared any recipes as of yet. This one is one of my very favorites. It's a simplification of a recipe I learned from a demonstration by Guliano Bugialli.
It's a great recipe for days when you just don't have time to mess around in the kitchen and can be on the table inside a half an hour easily (quicker if you have fresh pasta on hand). It's also a great side dish.
1/2 pound of dry pasta or a poundish of fresh pasta cooked al dente and drained thoroughly
6 Tbsp butter, melted
zest of one lemon chopped fine
1 cup of heavy cream
1/2 to 3/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan.
Salt, pepper, lemon juice to taste.
parsley for garnish
Combine butter, zest and cream in a big skillet and reduce a bit over medium heat.
Whisk in the Parmesan. When it comes to the amount of the Parmesan, a lot depends on the cheese itself, as well as how coarse it's grated. Too little cheese, and there's no flavor, too much and it gets grainy. So, play it by ear while adding the cheese slowly.
At this point, you can add some salt, pepper and lemon juice if you wish. Lemon juice kind of messes with the texture, so be careful of it. However, depending on the lemons, sometimes the zest just isn't strong enough. Nice, coarse, fresh ground pepper absolutely rocks in this.
Add the pasta to the skillet and toss over medium low heat for a few minutes.
Plate up, garnish with some coarsely chopped parsley and enjoy!
Recipe makes two entree sized portions or several side dish sized.
It's a great recipe for days when you just don't have time to mess around in the kitchen and can be on the table inside a half an hour easily (quicker if you have fresh pasta on hand). It's also a great side dish.
1/2 pound of dry pasta or a poundish of fresh pasta cooked al dente and drained thoroughly
6 Tbsp butter, melted
zest of one lemon chopped fine
1 cup of heavy cream
1/2 to 3/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan.
Salt, pepper, lemon juice to taste.
parsley for garnish
Combine butter, zest and cream in a big skillet and reduce a bit over medium heat.
Whisk in the Parmesan. When it comes to the amount of the Parmesan, a lot depends on the cheese itself, as well as how coarse it's grated. Too little cheese, and there's no flavor, too much and it gets grainy. So, play it by ear while adding the cheese slowly.
At this point, you can add some salt, pepper and lemon juice if you wish. Lemon juice kind of messes with the texture, so be careful of it. However, depending on the lemons, sometimes the zest just isn't strong enough. Nice, coarse, fresh ground pepper absolutely rocks in this.
Add the pasta to the skillet and toss over medium low heat for a few minutes.
Plate up, garnish with some coarsely chopped parsley and enjoy!
Recipe makes two entree sized portions or several side dish sized.
