By Meg Walker
06th Mar 2024
06th Mar 2024
Christopher Scholey / Ryland Peters & Small
This tasty pasta is so simple and delicious, it's sure to become a weekly staple.
A popular choice on the terrace at my restaurant Santini, this lemon basil pasta dish only requires a handful of ingredients and is sure to be one you’ll make again and again.
Pasta al limone
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 120g butter
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- freshly squeezed juice of 1 1/2 lemons
- 200g dried pasta or 160g fresh pasta
- a handful of basil leaves, roughly torn
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- crumbled goat’s cheese, to serve
Method
- Put a large pan of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
- Meanwhile, to make the sauce, heat the butter, lemon zest and lemon juice in a heavy-bottomed pan. When the butter begins to froth, remove the pan from the heat. Do not allow it to burn.
- When the salted water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions.
- Drain the pasta but keep a cup of the cooking water. Tip the hot drained pasta into the lemony butter, add the torn basil leaves and a splash of the retained cooking water (about 60ml). Toss with gusto over a high heat until the pasta looks creamy and well coated.
- Season to taste, top with crumbled goat’s cheese and serve immediately with extra freshly ground black pepper.
Tip: Try it topped with toasted pine nuts for something a little extra
Extracted from Laura Santtini’s Pasta Secrets by Laura Santtini (Ryland Peters & Small).
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