It’s a simple & easy pasta dish.
(To add some flavorful edge also quite a lot of lemon juice & lemon zest found its way into the pasta bowl.)
Do we need a recipe? Is it worth a post?
Yes, because there are these great soft roasted pine nuts all over the pasta – freshly roasted just minutes before added. There is also freshly grated Parmesan, fluffy & creamy at the same time, delivering a sharp edge – together w/ just picked basil leaves. The combination works. Simplicity works. (My better half was enthusiatic.)
The idea for this pasta … is based somewhere in my cookbook library – of course by adapting the recipe slightly.
Beyond that I’m busy w/ spring cleaning, tidying up, decluttering … (An easy pasta dish is always welcome when making deep dives into the cellar or wherever!)
the background: my better half & I plan to move. After about 20 years we’ve decided to move – not next month or next quarter, but in near future. After having lived for all these years in a house w/ generous storing options you may imagine that there is quite a lot of things chilling out there undisturbed since some years or so … We seriously ask ourselves again & again: do we need … really …
(At least we are quite sure where we’d like to move … southbound.)
Let’s say that we’ve realized that the very 1st step to start developing moving plans will be to make a list (or some lists!) about … which things will accompany our planned move – meaning that we’ve to look into any box, any storage rack, any drawer, any cupboards … to get an overview. (… & to discard anything which seems to be a waste of space at 1st glance.)
So far we identified some options where our things may end up & may start living happily ever after … like online dealers for books, DVDs, CDs …, local organizations for clothes … home appliances … However, there is also the final destiny: the bin.
You get it: there is a lot of work ahead – meaning we’ll need more simple dishes during the next months.
To start w/ today’s pasta dish we need:
- pasta like spaghetti
- an organic lemon
- pine nuts
- Parmesan
- fresh garlic
- basil leaves.
(Assuming that olive oil as well as salt & pepper go w/o saying.)
So there are some preparations:
- The lemon will deliver its grated zest & its juice. Set aside after done.
- The Parmesan will be grated & set aside.
- The basil leaves will get torn apart & set aside.
- The garlic, once crushed, will join the olive oil & set aside.
- Finally the pine nuts will get roasted in a frying pan & set aside.
When roasting the pine nuts stay near the pan & start stirring to prevent the pine nuts from getting burnt.
The spaghetti will join boiling water & cook for about 6 min (or somewhat more if you like to work w/ slightly thicker spaghetti … Ask the instruction on the pasta package about cooking times). At the same time start frying the crushed garlic in olive oil – softly.
Finally drain the pasta & pour into the pan … mixing w/ the garlicky olive oil. Add the lemon mess & the grated Parmesan & mix well. Finally put all in a bowl & add the roasted pine nuts & the basil leaves.
Ready.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy.
- 200 g spaghetti
- 50 g Parmesan
- 1 organic lemon
- a handful basil leaves
- 1 clove of garlic
- 50 ml olive oil
- 50 g pine nuts
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- Grate the Parmesan & set aside.
- Grate the lemon zest, press the lemon juice & set aside.
- Pick to pieces the basil leaves & set aside.
- Add the crushed garlic to the olive oil & set aside.
- Roast the pine nuts in a frying pan & stir continuously to prevent from burning for about 4-5 min. Set aside.
- Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water for about 6 min resp. according to the instruction on the package.
- In the meantime heat up the olive oil w/ the garlic in the frying pan – softly.
- Drain the pasta & dump in the frying pan. Mix thoroughly w/ the olive oil.
- Add the lemon juice w/ the zest & mix thoroughly.
- Add the grated Parmesan & mix thoroughly until the Parmesan melts into the pasta.
- Add salt & pepper to taste.
- Pour the spaghetti mess in a bowl & add the pine nuts & the torn basil leaves. Mix thoroughly & serve immediately.
