Pasta with Caramelized Lemon and Chili
Cooked pasta is tossed with a sauce made with butter, olive oil, the caramelized segments of a lemon, lemon zest and anchovies. To serve, I scattered more anchovy fillets on top of the heap of pasta before sprinkling in chopped parsley.
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon sugar or more, depending on your taste
- 2 anchovy fillets plus more to garnish
- 1 bird's eye chili finely sliced
- pepper to taste
- cooked pasta for one tip: cook in generously salted water and undercook the pasta by about a minute
- grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley plus more to garnish
Instructions
- Zest the lemon and set the grated zest aside.
- Cut off the white pith covering the lemon and discard.
- Cut the lemon into segments and pry off the seeds.
- Boil of cup of water and blanch the lemon segments for a minute (don’t skip this part; otherwise, the lemons will make the cooked dish taste bitter). Scoop out and drain on paper towels.
- Heat the butter and olive oil. Add the blanched lemon segments with the sugar, lemon zest and chili. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and turns a shade darker. Don’t worry if the lemon segments almost liquefy.
- Add the anchovy fillets, breaking them into bits as you stir.
- Throw in the cooked pasta. Season with a little pepper. Toss to coat the noodles with sauce.
- Add the Parmesan and parsley. Toss a couple of times more. Taste and add salt, if needed.
- Twirl the pasta into a shallow bowl. Top with more anchovy fillets, chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.
Notes
Inspired by a recipe in The New York Times.
If you cooked this dish (or made this drink) and you want to share your masterpiece, please use your own photos and write the cooking steps in your own words.
