Spaghetti al Limone

Elegant in its simplicity, spaghetti with lemon and parmesan cheese is a classic pasta recipe for a reason. This version comes to us from our partner Dan Pelosi (@grossypelosi) – he advises to cook the spaghetti in less water than usual and reserve some of the water to make the sauce. The extra starchy pasta water will emulsify to create a supremely creamy, buttery and cheesy sauce

5 lemons

1 teaspoon salt, plus extra for salting the water

1 pound spaghetti

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

Parmesan cheese, grated

Halve one of the lemons, then zest and juice the remaining four. Set aside.

Fill a shallow pot with 3 inches of water (the shallow water will allow for extra starchy pasta water). Salt the water and place the halved lemon into the water. Bring the water to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and discard remaining water.

Wipe out pot and set over medium heat. Add 6 tablespoons butter, 3/4 cup lemon juice, 2 teaspoons lemon zest and 1 teaspoon salt. Swirl together until butter is melted and everything is combined. Reduce the heat to low and add the al dente spaghetti, along with 1/2 cup of the starchy water to the pan. Turn off the heat and add the remaining two tablespoons butter. Twirl the spaghetti until a creamy consistency forms, adding more pasta water if necessary to achieve the desired consistency.

Serve pasta immediately generously topped with parmesan cheese.