The first time we heard about lemons in a pasta sauce, we were quite skeptical. Isn’t that going to be sour? Well, a little but the brightness and freshness are what really take it to a new level. We have tried several versions of this dish with lemon zest to lemon rinds. Each version has its place in our kitchen, and we are happy to eat and share our favorite version from all of our testing. Enjoy!
Serves:4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
Kosher salt
1 lemon, thinly sliced on a mandolin
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
3 shallots, slivered
1 ½ teaspoons anchovy paste
1/3 cup capers
Big pinch red pepper flakes
1 pound fettuccini
½ cup fresh basil, torn by hand
2/3 cup grated parmesan
1 ½ cups feta, crumbled
Instructions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it heavy like you do for pasta. Add the lemon slices and blanch for about 30 seconds. Use a spider to remove the slices to a baking sheet lined with paper towels and blot dry with extra ones.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until the olive oil is hot. Stir in the garlic and shallots and cook until browned, 5 minutes. Mix in the anchovy paste, capers, red pepper flakes and lemon slices, cooking until a sauce starts to form. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
Cook the pasta in the salted water per package instructions removing from the heat just before done. Add the cooked pasta to the pan along with about ½ cup of the pasta water, stir to create a sauce that coats the pasta. You may need to add more pasta water to loosen the sauce, up to about another ½ cup, stirring until well combined. Stir in the basil and parmesan then serve in pasta bowls topped with the crumbled feta.