Made it. Love it.

This was such an easy classic pasta recipe that we just loved! I found it on Epicurious but it comes from Gwenyth Paltrow's cookbook - My Father's Daughter. Who knew Gwenyth Paltrow would ever present the world with some good home-made recipes?!  Thanks Gwennie!

xo, k

Spaghetti Limone Parmeggiano

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 pound (3/4 box) spaghetti
• Coarse salt
• 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 cups finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3–5 tablespoons of pasta water, to thin
• Handful fresh basil leaves (from 4 leafy stems)

PREP:

Boil the spaghetti in salted boiling water, according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, using a Microplane, grate the zest from the lemon into a large mixing bowl. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl (I like to use the grater as a strainer—one less thing to clean). Add the 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, pepper, and a pinch of salt, and mix in the olive oil to form a wet paste.

When the spaghetti is perfectly cooked, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the cooking water to the lemon and cheese mixture. Add the spaghetti to the bowl and toss thoroughly, adding another tablespoon or 2 of pasta water if necessary so that the sauce coats each strand. Roughly tear in the basil leaves.

Serve each portion with a sprinkle of coarse salt, a fresh grind of black pepper, and a few gratings of extra Parmesan.