Simple-to-make butter, garlic and lemon pasta | Elaine Revelle

I’m in heaven.

Found an easy recipe for a pasta dish calling for three of my favorite ingredients: butter, garlic and lemon.

It’s actually a basic recipe that can be added to for a hearty dish or left simple for a light meal.

Delicious is too mild a word to describe it; I think it’s over the top.

Pasta has a long, interesting and confusing history as there are two camps in the theory of its origin. Asia or Italy?

Me, I’m leaning toward the Asians. But like foods all over the world almost every continent has a “wheat/grain/seed flours mixed with water” staple carbohydrate.

I’m neutral, I really don’t care who invented pasta, I’m just glad someone did. I love it all. However, I have to admit I prefer thin pasta, preferably angel hair, vermicelli or fideo, a thin Latino pasta.

My exception to thin pasta is bucatini, also known as perciatelli. One of my favorite home chefs, Bill Powell, introduced me to it.

Classed as “tubular,” it’s a thick spaghetti like pasta with a hole running through the center. It’s more tender than regular spaghetti and the hole somehow picks up a lot of sauce.

So, for starters, here’s the basic butter, garlic and lemon recipe, with variations and additions to taste, as follows:

BUTTER, GARLIC AND LEMON PASTA

1 pound angel hair pasta

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large clove garlic minced

4 lemons, zested and 2 juiced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup splash heavy cream, optional

1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving

1 lemon, thinly sliced into six half moons

In a large pot of boiling water, add two teaspoons of salt. Add angel hair pasta and cook until “al dente,” about three minutes or less. Reserve 1/4 cup of salted water, drain and set aside.

While pasta cooks start sauce.

Melt butter in a large pan. Add olive oil and garlic, sauté about one minute. Stir in zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Heat gently, pour in cream and reserved pasta water as needed, one tablespoon at a time. Add drained pasta and parmesan, toss until cheese melts and pasta is evenly coated.

Pile in warmed bowls topped with additional parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil and a lemon slice. Serves six.

NOTE: Since angel hair is thin, undercook to very al dente. Pasta will finish cooking while draining, and in sauce.

For additions and/or garnishes, and to stretch servings, here are a few suggestions. All quantities, by the way, should be to taste and serving amounts.

For herbs, add chopped fresh Italian parsley, oregano, basil or sage leaves. All fresh herbs can add a flair to serving by frying one or two whole leaves or sprigs for topping.

Cooked meats from shrimp to chicken, or any leftovers, are great additions for a heartier dish.

Veggies too, broccoli florets, asparagus, spinach and peas are particularly good. Remember though, don’t cook any of these to a mush stage. Notice, all these are green and add great color.

And, for a spectacular garnish, top with fried lemon slices.

FRIED LEMONS

2 Meyer (preferably) lemons

1 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil, more if necessary

Mix salt, pepper and sugar and set aside. Wash, dry and cut tops and bottoms off lemons and slice 1/8-inch thick, should produce six to eight slices. Blanch in boiling water, two minutes, transfer with slotted spoon to drying rack.

Add olive oil large frying pan and heat over medium high. While pan heats, lightly sprinkle lemons, both sides, with salt mixture.

When oil shimmers, add slices and sauté until bottoms are golden brown, about three or four minutes. Flip gently and brown other side, one or two minutes more. When done, return to rack.

When cool, stack two or three and cut into quarters. Set aside until ready to use.