lemon and basil make great partners in this recipe from Jamie Deen’s cookbook Good Food. as usual, i changed it up a bit using a fewer amount of ingredients for just the two of us.
the pasta had a perfect fresh summer taste, made with basil leaves from my garden. i was able to use just a couple of pots on the stove, so clean up was very easy on a busy weeknight.
choose your pasta, and boil until al dente. save about 3/4 cup of pasta water before draining in a colander.
heat several tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan. once hot, add minced garlic to taste and heat. next, add and incorporate with a whisk, 1/4 cup half and half with 1/4 cup lemon juice. that is the amount of juice from one large lemon. add salt and pepper to taste and cook to incorporate for at least 2-4 minutes.
add 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoons of freshly grated lemon zest, and 1/2 cup of thinly sliced fresh basil. stir and combine. add extra pasta water to make a perfect sauce for the pasta. add pasta, and increase the heat. i used a large fork to incorporate the sauce with the pasta. add additional pasta water to keep the mixture easy to heat in the pan. serve with extra cheese and basil if desired. a nice garden salad would be a great side for this meal.
angel food garden 