Pasta Al Limone

Spaghetti Al Limone is the perfect quick summer pasta that you can whip up in less than 20 minutes using mainly pantry ingredients. It originates in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast where, if you have been there before, lemons are in abundance in summer and add the perfect zesty and zingy taste that pairs perfectly with a hit of chilli, cheese, garlic and parsley.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of chilli oil
• 200g of spaghetti
• 100g of cheese, finely grated (Parmesan or Grana Padano)
• 1 fresh chilli
• 1 lemon
• 4 cloves of garlic
• A small bunch of flat or curly parsley

Watch the process

Method

1. Start by boiling a pot of water, half filling the pot and also boiling the kettle in tandem, this always halves your boiling time. 
2. Then, prepare your ingredients by peeling and roughly slicing the 4 cloves of garlic, finely slicing your chilli and finely chopping your small bunch of parsley.
3. Once the water is boiling, generously salt the water and slowly lower your spaghetti in until fully submerged.
4. While the pasta is cooking, place your garlic, chilli and chilli oil into a heated pan with some olive oil. Allow to simmer on a low heat for a few minutes whilst the spaghetti is cooking.
5. Just before your spaghetti is al dente, grate the zest of your lemon into the pan making sure to only get the yellow parts and avoid the bitter white pith. Give it a quick stir to heat up.
6. Then transfer your al dente pasta directly from your pot of water into the pan.
7.  Spoon over 1-2 ladles of the starchy pasta water, gently stirring for a minute to allow the spaghetti to soak up the water and emulsify into a light sauce.
8. Squeeze in the juice of half to a whole lemon into the pasta pan and mix well. 
9. Turn off the heat, and sprinkle over a handful of cheese, a bit more pasta water and mix till the cheese has melted into the pasta. Mix in your parsley and some fresh lemon zest.
10. Transfer to a plate and top with freshly grated cheese and extra parsley, and enjoy!