Pasta With Fried Lemons and Chile Flakes



Used Meyer lemons, which smelled great!
Cut 2 lemons into quarters, and then into small triangles crosswise. Grate the other 2 lemons.

I love lemons, so was excited to try this recipe out. I think I was the only one in my family who liked this though. My kids didn’t like it (though my second daughter likes eating lemons plain-very strange) and my husband thought it was too lemony. I used Meyer lemons. Definitely need the Parmesan cheese with this pasta. Tried it without it, and was flavorless. I put some chopped garlic in my pasta.

My lemons didn’t really crisp up. This is probably because you are supposed to completely try out your lemons, and I didn’t have time to do that.

Here’s what I did:

·        Cut ends off 2 lemons, and then cut into quarters lengthwise. Then cut crosswise into small triangles. Blanch lemons for 2 minutes in boiling water. Then remove from water and completely dry them

·        Zest 2 other lemons

·        Boil linguini for 1 minute shy of what the box calls you to cook for

·        In large skillet- pan-fry lemons with olive oil, blanked lemon slices, salt, and sugar until carmelized. Then remove from pan

·        In same frying pan, heat up olive oil, chopped garlic, lemon zest, chili flakes, and a little water

·        Toss pasta in the sauce, and then add in juice of 1 lemon, salt, pepper, the carmelized lemons

·        Then add in Parmesan cheese




Ingredients

  • 4 lemons
  • 1 pound linguine or spaghetti
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¾ teaspoon chile flakes, more to taste
  • ⅔ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, more to taste
  • Black pepper, as needed
  • ½ cup celery leaves, coarsely chopped (optional)
  • ⅓ cup parsley, coarsely chopped (optional)
  • Flaky sea salt, for garnish

Preparation

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Finely zest 2 of the lemons and set aside. Trim the tops and bottoms off the other 2 lemons and cut lengthwise into quarters; remove seeds. Thinly slice the quarters crosswise into triangles. Blanch the lemon pieces in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a dish towel. Blot dry.
  2. In the boiling water, add pasta and cook until just barely al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
  3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat. Add the dried lemon pieces and season with a pinch each of salt and sugar. Cook until the lemons are caramelized and browned at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
  4. Melt the butter with the remaining oil in the pan over medium heat. (I also added chopped garlic) Add the chile flakes and zest of both lemons; cook until fragrant. Whisk in the reserved pasta water. (I forgot to keep this so just used regular water)
  5. Toss in pasta, juice of 1 lemon, cheese, pepper and the remaining salt. Cook until pasta is well coated with sauce. Toss in the caramelized lemon and the celery leaves and parsley if using. Taste and add lemon juice if needed. Serve, topped with a drizzle of oil, more cheese if you like, and a sprinkle of sea salt.

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