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After our visit to the Amalfi Coast, and with two bags full of luscious organic lemons, I wanted to make risotto al limone. But as I rummaged around the internet for a recipe, I was dismayed at the amount of butter that was called for and butter is something we don’t even keep’ in out refrigerator! As we already eat out quite a bit with clients, at home we try to cook as lightly as possible. So I decided to experiment using olive oil instead of butter, which will make a delicious and dietetic dish. Then I rummaged in my kitchen cupboards to see if I had all the other ingredients. Hmm, no rice. So, refusing to be daunted, I invented my very own pasta al limone like this:
Sauce ingredients for 2 people:
1 stem of fresh garlic, chopped
1 leek, sliced
Pinch of saffron
Parsley
Extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ a lemon
Grated rind of ½ an organic lemon
¼ cup of water
½ cup of white or rosé wine
200 gr. of long pasta
The cooking time is so quick, start by heating the water for the pasta in a pot (and remember to salt it when it boils).
Wash the lemon. Heat the water in a non-stick frying pan, add the garlic and allow the flavor to sweat into the liquid. Then add the leek, and salt to taste. When all the water has evaporated, add the wine. When the wine evaporates, add the lemon juice and saffron. Then add the grated lemon rind and parsley and put aside until the pasta is ready.
In the meantime, you’re water has boiled and you’ve cooked 200 grams of long pasta. When it’s still very al dente, put the pan back on the stove and transfer the pasta (together with a little of it’s water) and stir over a high flame until the water has evaporated. Douse with olive oil and serve.