LEMON PASTA (Real Sicilian Recipe) | Summer Recipe Using Freshly Squeezed Lemons

When life hands you lemons, make lemon pasta! In this video my mom and I show you how to make this refreshing lemon pasta dish. Using lemons also gives you a dose of immune boosting Vitamin C, which all of us can use right about now during this pandemic.

If you love lemons and want to add more of them to your cooking repertoire, you absolutely must try this lemon pasta. By the way...it's super easy to make.

I love using lemons when I cook. I squeeze lemon juice over my steamed broccoli, salmon, steak and chicken. I love a simple, yet beautiful, butter/lemon/white wine sauce for fish dishes. I use lemon zest in my bread baking. It adds such a clean and sophisticated taste to almost any dish.

Believe it or not, lemons and pasta make a great combination. A lemon pasta dish on a summer afternoon is the perfect light and elegant meal in-and-of itself. Alternatively, you can make it as a palate cleansing appetizer for a more substantial meal.

INGREDIENTS:
🍋 one clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half
🍋 1/2 cup plus two TBSP fresh Italian leaf flat parsley, chopped
🍋 zest from one lemon
🍋 3/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
🍋 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
🍋 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano cheese, divided in half (avoid the cheese in the canister for best results)
🍋 1 pound pasta (my mom and I used rigatoni in my video, but any type is fine)
🍋 salt and pepper to taste (I did not add any extra salt to this dish as the grated cheese already contains salt. Adding more might put it over the top. With that said, if you like it more salty, add it to your liking).

METHOD:
🍋 In a bowl large enough to accommodate one pound of pasta, rub the garlic, cut side down all over the inside of the bowl.
🍋 Fill a large pot with water, cover and place over high heat.
🍋 To the prepped pasta bowl, add all of the freshly squeezed lemon juice and whisk.
🍋 Pour in ½ cup extra virgin olive oil and whisk it into the lemon juice until it emulsifies.
🍋 Whisk in ½ cup chopped fresh parsley, reserving the extra two tablespoons for later.
🍋 Add ¼ cup grated cheese, saving the rest of it for later as well.
🍋 When water is boiling, pour the pasta into the water.
🍋 When pasta is done cooking, use a slotted spoon or a small metal sieve to scoop out the cooked pasta from the water and place it in the bowl with the lemon sauce.
🍋 Give it a good stir.
🍋 Add the remaining ¼ cup grated cheese, the lemon zest and the 2 TBSP of the parsley.