Chris is rather sly, not giving away all the ingredients or the amounts. I put together my idea of what and how and gave it a try. It's a keeper.
Spaghetti with Lemon Pesto
Ingredients
Spaghetti and pasta water
- 2 qts water
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- zest from 2 lemons
- 1 lb. spaghetti
Lemon Pesto
- zest from 2 lemons
- 2 TBL butter
- 1/2 cup parmesan
- 1/2 cup nuts (I used walnuts but use what you have)
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Directions
Make the pesto
- Zest 4 lemons (1/2 will go in the water and 1/2 in the pesto)
- put all pesto ingredients except olive oil in a food processor and process until grainy.
- Slowly add the olive oil. Check to see if is slightly drippy, but not liquid. If not, add a bit more olive oil.
- Taste. Add a bit more salt and some pepper if you'd like.
Cook the pasta
- Use the 2 quarts of water (8 cups).
- Add salt, sugar and lemon zest
- Bring to a boil
- Remove the peel before adding pasta (I forgot this step, but because my zester makes tiny strips, it didn't matter)
- Cook the pasta until a texture that suits you
- Drain the pasta (I use a colander set over another pan to catch water)
Prepare Spaghetti with Lemon Pesto Sauce
- Return enough pasta to the pot for your meal
- Add some pesto and toss
- Now add a bit of the reserved water, a little at a time, to make a creamy sauce. Toss for a bit.
- Serve in bowl
- Top with a bit more parmesan (or in my case a lot!)
Bon Appétit