Wednesday, July 25, 2012

A Perfect Pasta For Summer


I haven’t posted a recipe in a while. I don’t cook much during the summer. We’ve been living on salads, BBQ, snacking and an occasional blended beverage to cool us down. It’s been too hot to think about eating or cooking.

But, this weekend, I made Giada’s Lemon Spaghetti and I was reminded how much I love this recipe. It's my summertime comfort food. In my opinion, it is the perfect summer dinner. It’s light and refreshing, and super easy-to-make so there isn’t a lot of time spent in the kitchen. Plus, this recipe is especially good for my friends who are growing basil in the their gardens right now.


Ingredients

    1 pound spaghetti
    2/3 cup olive oil
    2/3 cup grated Parmesan
    1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1 tablespoon lemon zest
    1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions (with my “tweaks”)

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, lemon zest and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce and the reserved cooking liquid. Then stir in the basil. Season with salt and pepper.

For added crunch, I like to sprinkle pine nuts on top before serving.


Delicious!


I can easily make a meal out of this pasta alone but it also pairs really well with a white fish (cod, halibut, etc.). This weekend I tried it with this:


Ingredients

    4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
    2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
    1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
    1 teaspoon dried oregano
    1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions (again with my tweaks)

Place chicken in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour lemon juice over chicken; sprinkle with feta cheese, oregano and pepper.

Bake, covered with foil, at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

Enjoy!

1 comment:

Andrea Lee said...

Looks tasty, thanks!