Spaghetti with Lemon and Parsley

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My family referred to dishes like this as “peasant food”. We have lots of dishes like this, requiring few ingredients, that you can stretch to feed a big family. This pasta dish is so simple and so delicious! In the time it takes to cook the pasta, the sauce comes together. We fancied it up with homemade breadcrumbs, which add a wonderful crunch to the dish. Most recipes use parsley as a garnish, here it is an ingredient- you use the entire bunch. With lemon zest and juice, this fresh and simple pasta will become a quick favorite.

Tips:

• To make homemade breadcrumbs, pulse leftover bread in a food processor until they are broken down, but not a dust. Store those crumbs in a freezer bag in the freezer until you need them. If using right away, heat a frying pan with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil (depending on how much you are making). Add the breadcrumbs and sauté over a medium heat until toasted. Be careful as it goes quickly.

• Zest the lemon before you juice it!

• Salt your water well. If you do, you won’t need to add additional salt to the dish.

Spaghetti with Lemon and Parsley

Serves 4

PREP 10 minutes

COOK 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. spaghetti

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 lemon, zested then juiced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch flat leaf parsley, minced

Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Homemade breadcrumbs, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Boil water for your pasta. When you put the pasta in, start the sauce. Cook according to directions, taking the pasta out when it’s a minute shy of being al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water.

2. In a large frying pan, over medium heat, add the oil and garlic. Once you can smell the garlic, add the lemon zest, followed by the juice of the lemon.

3. As the oil infuses with garlic and lemon, check the spaghetti for doneness. Once it’s almost done, strain it, reserving some water and add the pasta to the frying pan with the oil.

4. Toss it all together, gradually adding the pasta water, which will make a silky sauce and coat all the spaghetti. Add the parsley, a generous amount of parmesan and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

5. If using the breadcrumbs, I like to portion out the pasta and top each bowl with breadcrumbs, rather than mixing it in.