Transport yourself to the scenic Amalfi Coast with our lemon pesto pasta recipe, a delightful fusion of citrus and fresh ingredients that captures the essence of coastal Italy. In Amalfi, chefs replace the traditional basil in pesto with the zest of local “sfusato amalfitano” lemons. This zest, combined with almonds, Parmesan, and olive oil, creates a bright and aromatic pesto ideal for pasta.
Our adaptation of this recipe, from “Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” includes a touch of sugar to balance the lemons’ acidity, emulating the sweeter, larger lemons from Amalfi. We also add lemon zest to the pasta cooking water, which lightly perfumes the spaghetti, enhancing the lemony flavor of the pesto.
In our version, a food processor is used instead of the classic mortar and pestle. The lemon zest is peeled in large strips, avoiding the bitter white pith. Half of the zest is boiled with a bit of salt and sugar, while the other half is pulsed with almonds and cheese in the food processor until it resembles coarse sand. Olive oil is then incorporated until just blended.
Cook the spaghetti in the lemon-scented water until al dente, then mix with the pesto and some starchy pasta water. Toss until the pesto evenly coats the noodles. Remember to remove the lemon zest strips from the boiling water before adding the pasta to avoid bitterness and ease of serving.
Recipe: Spaghetti with Lemon Pesto
Preparation Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 4 lemons
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons white sugar, divided
- 1 pound spaghetti
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese (without rind), cut into rough 1-inch pieces, plus finely grated Parmesan to serve
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
Instructions:
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the lemons in long, wide strips, avoiding the bitter white pith. You should have about ⅔ cup of zest strips.
- In a large pot, combine 2 quarts of water, 1½ teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and half of the zest strips. Bring to a boil, cook for 2 minutes, then discard the zest.
- Add the spaghetti to the pot and cook until al dente. Reserve 1½ cups of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
- In a food processor, combine the remaining zest strips, almonds, Parmesan, the remaining ½ teaspoon of sugar, and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Process until the mixture resembles coarse sand, about 10 to 20 seconds. Add the oil and process until just incorporated, about 10 seconds; set aside.
- To the spaghetti in the pot, add the pesto and ¾ cup of the reserved pasta water, then toss to combine. Add more reserved pasta water as needed to coat the noodles. Toss in the chives.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with additional oil and with extra grated Parmesan on the side.