Pasta al Limone

I love the zing of a lemon and when I think of lemons I think Amalfi. There are countless recipes out there for pasta with lemon that include butter or cream which I've omitted. I'm not the greatest fan of creamy dishes. I've included a small amount of cheese to thicken the "sauce" a little to cling to the pasta. 

Ingredients
serves 2

180 g Spaghetti
1 Amalfi Lemon, large
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
30g pecorino, grated (optional)
1 garlic clove, whole
3 sprigs of earthy herbs like thyme, sage, or rosemary , roughly chopped
1 Bay Leaf
Salt, to taste
15g Basil or parsely, to serve
Lemon zest, to serve

Method

Wash the lemons thoroughly and remove the peel with a veg peeler. Avoid the white pith as that can taste bitter. Keep a quarter side of one lemon for serving later.

Bash the garlic clove to open it up. No need to chop it.

Place the lemon peel in a small frying pan, add the garlic clove, the bay leaf and a combinarion of herbs i.e. rosemary, thyme or sage. Pour over the olive oil and bring to a gentle heat.  

Once the lemon peel and herbs begin to release their oils and aromas, and before the garlic browns, remove from the heat. Add a pinch of salt. Add the lemon juice and mix well. Leave to infuse for as long as you can. 

When you're ready to prepare the meal, strain the lemony oil and return it back to the frying pan. 

Cook the pasta per instructions , then add it to the lemon oil. Stir well. Add the pecorino cheese and throw in a few chopped parsely leaves and stir well again. 

Serve in individual warm bowls.  Sprinkle some chopped parsely leaves and grate a little lemon zest over the pasta.