When I am feeling low, I sometimes go to Sandro’s in NYC to eat Spaghetti al Limone. It is a quietly comforting experience: spaghetti perfectly cooked al dente slicked with a suave, subtly lemon, perfectly-balanced  sauce. I’ve seen and tried many versions of this classic pasta —many predominantly Parmigiano laced with lemon—but have settled on this approximation of Sandro’s lovely version.

The sauce, which just coats the pasta, is very simple: butter and heavy cream are steeped with lemon zest. Once the pasta is barely cooked, it is tossed with the infused cream, lemon juice, pepper, and just enough Parmigiano to balance but not overwhelm the lemon flavor. Pasta cooking water acts as a flavorful moistening liquid that you can use to extend the sauce while you let the pasta soak up the sauce. (The use of cream actually make the pasta less caloric than many of the olive and cheese based versions).

The pasta is about perfect as is, but can also be embellished with fresh herbs —basil, parsley, oregano, thyme —  slivers of prosciutto or arugula…

I recommend using the best imported spaghetti or linguine you can find. Rustichella d’Abruzzo is a reliable favorite.

Sally Schneider
Sally Schneider

Recipe: Pasta al Limone (Lemon Pasta)

Serves 4 as a first course; 2 as a main course. Double the recipe to serve 4 as a main.

1 lemon, washed and dried
2 tablespoons butter (or extra-virgin olive oil, for a slight diminishment in flavor and effect)
4 tablespoons heavy cream, with an additional tablespoon or two for balancing the flavor
Kosher salt
1/2 pound spaghetti, linquine or spaghettini
3 to 4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Finely grate the zest from the lemon (I use a microplane grater). Measure 1 teaspoon of the zest and set the rest aside.  Then cut the lemon in half and juice it; set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the butter, cream and 1 teaspoon of the zest (reserve any remaining zest for possible addition at the end). Set over low heat to infuse; when it begins to simmer, turn off the heat.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt well and add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is a very al dente (it will cook longer in the sauce).  Using a measuring cup, scoop out 1/2 cup of the cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta and return to the pot.

Add the lemon cream, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of the cheese and a few grinds of pepper. Toss the pasta to coat well, adding some of the cooking water 1 tablespoon at a time until the pasta is just slicked with the sauce. Taste, adding additional lemon juice, zest and/or cheese to taste. To tone down the lemon flavor, add an additional tablespoon of cream. Adjust the seasoning. If the sauce is thickening too quickly, stir in a little cooking water. Serve at once

 

Sally Schneider
Sally Schneider

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3 replies on “Pasta al Limone (Lemon Pasta) after Sandro Fioriti

  1. Can you substitute the butter and cream with vegan alternatives such as olive oil and non dairy cream?

  2. Certainly you can substitute olive oil for the butter. I have no experience with non dairy cream. It’s well worth trying out, if just with half the recipe. You could also try using just olive oil — no cream-like stuff — infusing it with lemon zest, then boiling it with some of the pasta cooking water and lemon juice (used sparingly) to emulsify it.

    The tricky part is not having the savory/umami aspect of the Parmigiano cheese, which gives more complexity to the flavor. So you would definitely be in experimental territory. In the vegan recipes I looked up, nutritional yeast supplied that component. (For ideas, google: ‘vegan lemon pasta’, or ‘vegan lemon pasta cream sauce’)

    I’ve found the basic combo of cream and lemon zest + lemon juice, s + p to be a lovely sauce unto itself.

    Please let me know what you find.

  3. I make a similar sauce to yours. It’s delicious. Sometimes I add a little fresh thyme and diced prosciutto; other times I add freshly ground black pepper and just-cooked garden peas.

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