Spaghetti with Lemon and Cream Sauce

A dear friend of mine recently passed me this recipe, and apparently knows my taste quite well--  this recipe was so delicious that I found it impossible to eat a reasonable amount.

I had never had a pasta sauce based on cream and lemon, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  It's different from anything I've had before, but it's definitely something I'll be making again, especially now that the summer months are coming around.  Although there's heavy cream in the recipe, there's only 1/4 of a cup for an entire pound of pasta, so it's not overwhelming or heavy.  The lemony flavor is fresh and crisp.  I just know you'll enjoy it.  Usually, I use whole wheat pasta for everything.  I used normal spaghetti for this recipe, and I'm glad I did- I'm not su

re that whole wheat pasta would have worked here. 

I served this with a big salad and extra basil and cheese sprinkled on the top.

Ingredients

1 pound of spaghetti
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 medium shallot, minced (* I didn't have a shallot, so I used ~ 3 tablespoons of minced onion)
1/4 heavy cream
1/4 freshly-squeezed lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons of the grated zest (~ 3 lemons needed)
1/2 cup grated Parmesean cheese, plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
salt
2 tablespoons shredded basil leaves, plus more for serving
2 cups reserved pasta water (** after your pasta is done cooking, reserve this before draining)

Directions

Boil enough salted water to cook 1 pound of pasta in a large dutch oven or large pot.  Add pasta to boiling water, and cook, stirring frequently, until al dente.  Reserve 2 cups cooking water, drain pasta, set asside.

 

Using the same Dutch oven/pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil.  Add shallot and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook until the shallot is softened, about 2 minutes.  Whisk in 1 1/2 cups of reserved pasta cooking water and cream into pot.  Bring to simmer and cook for 2 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove pot from heat.  Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and some pepper.  Return pasta to the pot, and stir until coated.  Add cheese, and drizzle with remaining olive oil, stirring to coat.  Taste and be sure the salt level and pepper level is right.

 

Then, cover the pasta and let it rest for 2 minutes, tossing frequently, to allow the sauce to set.  If you need it, add some of the additional pasta water.  Stir in basil.  Serve pasta drizzled with additional olive oil, and with some additional cheese and basil sprinkled on the top.  Enjoy. Try not to eat nearly a half of a pound of pasta by yourself, like I did :-).