Pasta & summer: it’s an excellent combination because pasta is an easy dish convenient for all these warm summer nights when sitting outside w/ a glass of wine longing for some easy, but substantial food – which wouldn’t keep you in the kitchen for too long.
It’s also one of my favourite pasta dishes in the south if Southern France or Northern Spain (where we are now!). The main challenge sometimes seems to be to find organic lemons!
The spaghetti are coated w/ a blend of fresh crispy lemon flavour, a hot chili impact & a hearty garlic background – the lemon thyme will give it a solid Mediterranean finish.
I like these short notice pasta mess. Full stop.
Start at once … you’ll only need:
- spaghetti
- olive oil
- an organic lemon
- garlic
- dried chili peppers …
- … & maybe – optional – some cream & fresh lemon thyme.
How to proceed:
1st step: Grate the lemon zest & squeeze the lemon juice.
2nd step: Press the garlic & mix w/ the lemon zest.
3rd step: Crumble the dried chili peppers (or leave them as they are).
4th step: Start cooking the spaghetti & preparing the lemon mess.
So now … while cooking the spaghetti grab a pan & start frying the lemon zest, the pressed garlic & the chili peppers (whole or crumbled) in olive oil – softly! Totally softly! Nothing shall get black & burnt!
Add some cooking water of the spaghetti for creaminess … & add some lemon juice for flavour! As soon as the spaghetti are well cooked, drain them … and just put them in the pan & toss to combine.
Maybe add some cream for even more creaminess …
Before serving add some minced fresh lemon thyme!
It’s fresh from the lemon, it’s hot from the chili & it’s feeling-good from the garlic! Combine it w/ some wine & chill out …
Well – if you used whole dried chili peppers don’t forget to discard them before adding the spaghetti to the lemon mess! If you’ve crumbled the dried chili peppers … it’s fine – hope you realized how much chili hotness you’ll like!
Enjoy!
- 150 g spaghetti
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- zest & juice of an organic lemon
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 2-3 dried chili peppers
- salt & pepper
- 2-3 tbsp cream (optional)
- 1 tbsp minced lemon thyme (optional)
- Grate the lemon zest & squeeze the juice.
- Press the cloves of garlic.
- Crumble the dried chili peppers or use them as they are.
- Bring water to a boil & add spaghetti; cook as long as recommended.
- While cooking the spaghetti heat the olive oil in a pan.
- Add lemon zest, pessed garlic & chili peppers.
- Fry softly – really softly – until the spaghetti are fine.
- Add about 4 tbsp cooking water of the spaghetti & 2 tbsp lemon juice.
- Add salt & pepper.
- Discard the chili peppers – if you preferred them whole.
- Drain the spaghetti & add to the pan. Mix thoroughly.
- If you prefer more lemon flavour add some more lemon juice – maybe 1 tbsp.
- optional: Add 2-3 tbsp liquid cream. Mix thoroughly.
- optional: Add minced lemon thyme on top before serving.
