Lemon Spaghetti

My good buddy Paul is a cook as well. We were chatting the other night and  I came up with the brilliant idea of sharing recipes. We've started with sharing our favorites. He shared what he calls Chicken Trifecta and Lemon Spaghetti. 

The idea is we'd make it and then sit on facetime and watch each other react to the recipe. Sounds fun right? 

Tonight was a disaster for me. I had to run to Redmond for a blood draw and the weather made it so hard to get back in time to make the full meal. So, I only made the lemon Spaghetti. 

Lord was it delicious. It may become a standard at my house. The key is adding the pesto - which was a Paul add. It really made the pasta delicious. The lemon makes it bright and flavorful. 

Recipe from Food Network

Lemon Spaghetti
Recipe from Paul Schronen

• 1 pound spaghetti
  
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2/3 cup grated Reggiano
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 3 T pesto - give or take

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, 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, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.