Lemon Garlic and Parm Pasta

Packed full of bold flavors, this pasta dish is not for wimpy taste buds - you have to really love lemon, garlic, and Parmesan.  Due to the lingering odiferous characteristics of the dish, be sure all your dinner guests partake.  This pasta is equally good served hot or at room temperature.

Lemon Garlic and Parmesan Pasta

makes 4-6 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound thin spaghetti, cooked to perfection

• 1 1/2 cups reserved pasta cooking water

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese (reserve a little for garnish)

• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley (reserve a little for garnish)

• salt and pepper to taste (heavy on the pepper)

• Garnish - grated lemon zest, crushed red pepper flakes, reserved parmesan and parsley, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Have all the ingredients ready to go as this sauce is made in the short time it takes to drain the cooked pasta. Be sure to reserve 1 and 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water (directions for Pasta 101 found here).

2. Using the same stock pot the pasta was cooked in, heat the olive oil over medium heat; add the crushed garlic and saute for a minute or two until very fragrant.

3. Add the lemon juice and only 1 cup of pasta cooking water (reserving the other 1/2 cup in case you need it later).

4. Stir and cook for a minute or so; season with a little salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper (watch the salt - the pasta water and cheese are very salty). Remove pot from heat.

5. Add the drained pasta to the pot, then add the parmesan and parsley; mix well (add more pasta water if needed).

6. Garnish with grated lemon zest, crushed red pepper flakes, parmesan, parsley, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Pasta 101 - How to Cook Perfect Pasta Every Time

There's nothing more satisfying to me than perfectly cooked pasta.  It's a pretty simple task, but I find so many people are confused about how long to cook it, how much salt they should add, whether or not they should add oil, etc.

As far as I'm concerned, the first thing you have to do is start with a good brand of pasta.  Other than that, there are two major rules to remember - 1) season your water properly (should be salty like the sea), and 2) do not, I repeat, DO NOT let the pasta over cook.

Okay, time to cook so do like me:

For 1 pound of pasta, start with 1 gallon of cold water, and make sure your pot is large enough.  This is a 6 quart stockpot (for 2 pounds of pasta I would use a 12 quart stockpot).  Cover and bring to a boil.

When the water boils, add 1 ounce of salt (30 grams).  I weighed Kosher and fine sea salt - the volume was identical for both (4 1/2 teaspoons).

Controversial side note - you can add oil to the water if you like, but I don't.  Yes, oil will keep the starchy bubbles from boiling over, but if you use plenty of water and a big enough stockpot, you won't have to worry about it.  Some people say adding oil to the water helps keep the pasta from sticking together, but I disagree - the oil floats on top of the water, which does nothing to keep the pasta from sticking together... and the oil disappears down the drain before the pasta even hits the colander, which doesn't keep the pasta from sticking either.  But hey, if you like to use it, go for it.

Add pasta to the salted water and give it a stir.  Boil until it's almost done cooking - use the time given on the package as a guideline.  The only guaranteed way to know for sure is to taste the pasta. 

photo courtesy of my son's fancy schmancy camera - I'm drooling

Pasta should resist a little when bitten.  This batch is going into some meat sauce so I'll remove it from the water a little early and allow it to finish cooking in the sauce.  Mangia-Mangia! 

Tip - if I plan to serve my pasta and sauce separately, I'll let it cook a minute or two more, drain, rinse the hot stockpot with cold water so the pasta doesn't continue to cook, add the drained pasta back to the pot, drizzle with a little olive oil, and stir well.  Pasta will hold like this for an hour or so, or it can be refrigerated for use later.

Perfect Pasta

makes 1 pound (8 servings)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound good dried pasta - De Cecco is my favorite, but I like Barilla and Ronzoni too

• 1 gallon (16 cups) cold water

• 1 ounce of salt (30 grams, or 4 1/2 teaspoons Kosher or sea salt)

Directions

1. In a 6-quart or larger stock pot, bring water to a boil.

2. Slowly add salt and stir to dissolve completely (otherwise the salt will pit the bottom of your stockpot).

3. Add pasta and stir occasionally to prevent sticking; continue cooking until pasta reaches "al dente"