Recipe: Spaghetti Al Limone

Sorry it's been a while since I last blogged but hopefully it gave you a chance to look over my older postings for Summer recipes for August. ;)
It's been mainly salads and the basic Summer BBQ fare on my end but as Summer ends and the cool Fall weather approaches, here's a last taste of Summer for you.

While perusing the online sales circular for Pathmark, I noticed that San Giorgio Pasta is on sale this week for 88¢ a box and a 2 pound bag of lemons is $2.99 perfect for making this classic simple and quick Italian dish of spaghetti in lemon sauce. There are many recipes on the internet for Spaghetti al Limone ranging from the use of heavy cream and white wine to the additions of garlic and shallots but in it's simplest form, it is just a sauce made with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. A Microplane rasp or the fine side of a box grater is needed to get the lemon zest off the lemon before you juice it. Depending on the size of the lemons you buy, you may need 2-3 lemons for this dish.
This will serve 4 people and pairs well with my Lemon Roast Chicken with Parsley.


Ingredients 

• 1 pound spaghetti 
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest 
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• Salt
• Ground black pepper 
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or basil leaves (whichever is on sale, in your garden, or your taste preference)

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook spaghetti according to manufacturer's directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking we make the sauce. In a large serving bowl, add the lemon juice and zest. Slowly whisk in the extra virgin olive oil until it is emulsified and looks creamy. Then mix in the Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. When pasta is al dente, drain in a colander and add to the large bowl with the lemon sauce.
4. Toss well to coat pasta in the sauce and then sprinkle the chopped herb on top.
5. Serve. 

Note: It's best to allow the pasta to sit a bit in the sauce to absorb more of the flavors.

Recipe: Lemon Roast Chicken and Parsley

This is a recipe that I learned years ago when I first started living on my own and have been roasting chicken like this ever since. I saw Chef Jeff Smith make a roast chicken on TV when he used to have his show on PBS and I adapted his simple recipe to give it more flavor. Whole chicken is often on sale for 79¢ to 89¢ a pound.

Ingredients

• 1 three to four pound chicken
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup olive oil (I use extra virgin for more flavor)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 bunch fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Rinse the chicken inside and out with water and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Rub the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper.
4. In a small bowl, make a dressing with the olive oil, lemon juice, and ground thyme.
5. Rub the chicken inside and out with the dressing.
6. Stuff the chicken loosely with the parsley and bake uncovered in a roasting pan for about 1 1/4 hours.

Note: Originally the recipe did not mention if the lemon juice was from a bottle or not but if you are using juice from a large fresh lemon, go ahead and stuff the chicken with the juiced lemon halves as well to give more flavor.

My tip: It's easier to make the dressing in a glass measuring cup so that you can see the measurements and have one less bowl to clean.

The resulting juices at the bottom of the pan make a delicious gravy.

Cooking hint: Pour the salt and pepper into a small bowl and mix together well and use it to season the chicken. This way you have less of a risk of getting chicken juices all over the place, cross contamination, and makes seasoning food fast and easy.