Add lemon to your pasta for a zesty, fresh, and invigorating dish that captures summer in Italy and long evenings in the garden.
We may be in September and hurtling towards fall, but that doesn't mean we have to abandon our summer evening pasta dishes just yet. If there is one thing that says summer in Italy it is a plate of spaghetti alle vongole, with a good squeeze of lemon. In fact, it is the lemon twist in your pasta dish that evokes that summer feeling more than anything else.
Summer is the time that lemon gets added to different pasta dishes. It adds a zesty element that is fresh and elevates the ingredients around it. Of course, pasta dishes with fish and seafood are especially suited to adding lemon, whether that’s clams, mussels, prawns, mackerel, tuna, cod... every pasta will benefit from a good squeeze of lemon juice and a grating of lemon zest.
But there are many pasta dishes that include lemon that have no fish at all. Pasta with fresh chopped vegetables from the garden, like broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, or green beans, also benefits from the addition of lemon. But adding lemon can also work well with dairy like cream, ricotta, or parmesan cheese. And of course, no lemon pasta round up would be complete without the recipe for simple spaghetti, garlic, chili, and lemon. Here are a few ideas to get you started and used to adding lemon to your pasta dishes.
Pasta with lemon, garlic, chili, and parmesan
This is just a lemon twist on the classic aglio, olio, e pepperoncino. Put enough spaghetti for two people in a pot of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for 10-12 minutes until al dente. In the meantime, finely chop two cloves of garlic. Add a good glug of extra virgin olive oil to a pan, heat at medium, then dd the garlic and a shake of dried chili flakes and reduce the heat to low. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain and set aside a cup of pasta water. Add the pasta to the pan and toss all the ingredients together. Grate the zest of a lemon over the top, squeeze the juice and toss again. Add generous handfuls of parmesan cheese and serve.
