Like all good pasta dishes, this recipe for angel hair pasta with lemon cream sauce has so few ingredients, all must shine. If you happen to have some grappa on hand, the fiery Italian spirit is a delicious alternative for the gin in this pasta dish.–Jennifer McLagan
LC Nothing Extraneous Note
Talk about efficiency. You can toss this pantry-minded pasta sauce together in less than half an hour from just seven ingredients. The fewer ingredients, though, the greater emphasis on the quality of each. This pertains particularly to the lemons, needed not just for their sprightly juice but their aromatic zest. So in keeping with the recipe’s laudable theme of nothing extraneous, rely on organic lemons to prevent pesticides from polluting your pasta.
Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 2 lemons
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup gin or grappa
- 12 ounces fresh angel hair pasta
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
Directions
- 1. Set a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook the angel hair pasta until just al dente.
- 2. Meanwhile, finely grate the zest of one of the lemons. Cut a thick slice off both ends of the zested lemon to expose the flesh. Stand the lemon upright, then cutting from the top down, remove the peel, including all the white pith. Holding the lemon over a bowl to catch the juice, use a paring knife to cut along either side of each segment to free it from the membranes, letting each segment fall into the bowl. When you’ve removed all the segments, squeeze any juice from the membranes into the bowl and then discard. Remove the seeds and set the segments aside in another small dish. Measure the lemon juice in the bowl. Cut the remaining lemon in half and squeeze another 2 tablespoons of juice into the bowl. Set aside.
- 3. In a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, bring the cream, gin or grappa, and lemon segments to a gentle boil. Lower the heat to a bare simmer until the lemon cream sauce thickens slightly, 5 to 8 minutes Remove the pan from the heat.
- 4. Drain the pasta. If need be, reheat the lemon cream sauce over medium-low heat. Add the lemon juice to the sauce along with half the grated lemon zest. Add the drained angel hair pasta to the sauce and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in warmed pasta bowls, sprinkled with the remaining lemon zest and the parsley.
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I had this for dinner last night and—WOW—it was incredible! I was skeptical before trying it: Lemon with pasta? How can that possibly work? But it did, and beautifully. The lemon flavor was powerful but not overwhelming, and the cream sauce brought a silkiness to the overall dish that I enjoyed with every bite. The pasta works well on its own but could be served as an appetizer or a side along with red meat. However the dish is served, I believe the eater will be in awe of its unsusal and wonderful flavors.
As The One said above, we made this for dinner last night. It was surprising and unusual. With the first bite, I kind of turned my head like the dog in the old RCA commercials. I couldn’t quite figure out if I liked it or not. But after a few more bites, I really took to it. The sauce was creamy with a punch of lemon. We used shells instead of angel hair pasta (it was what we had in the pantry), and, actually, I think I’d prefer it to angel hair. I added a lot of freshly ground black pepper and some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Weird, I know, but the sweetness of the cheese worked nicely off the lemon. We enjoyed it so much we ate the entire pot ourselves.
A few things to keep in mind:
1. Make sure to find small lemons. Use lemons the size of grenades, and you’ll be puckering all night.
2. Hold back 1/4 or so of the lemon sections. Mix together the sauce and pasta. If it’s not lemony enough for you, add the reserved lemon pieces a bit at a time.
3. Cook the tossed pasta over very low heat, stirring often—it helps the pasta absorb and thicken the sauce.