Vegetarian - Linguine with Lemon, Pecorino and Crème Fraiche

Linguine with Lemon, Pecorino and Crème Fraiche

Grating the Pecorino cheese

Preparing the sauce

Mixing the pasta with the sauce

The end result...velvety yumminess !!

This is one of those recipe that I felt I simply has to share. It might not have the look that will win me awards for the most beautifully presented dish or having the most exotic ingredients. But since when are good food all about the cost and the look. This I can assure you has depth of flavours beyond looks.

I've made this a couple of days ago when I was feeling bit under the weather. There was nothing available in the fridge and being too ill to venture out into the open world, I have to be resourceful and come up with an easy dish that will satisfy my hunger without too much any tedious cooking. Pasta dish seemed to be the most obvious choice. My initial thought was to make the traditional Carbonara , however, one ingredient is missing .... smokey Pancetta. So that mean, I will have to tweak it slightly to compensate for that. Thankfully, I always have loads of lemons in my fruit bowl as it is one of my favourite ingredient and also, putting the lemon in might even help me with the cold.

So with that and half tub of crème fraiche and the pecorino cheese found in the fridge, I set out to create this dish. The end result is a rich, velvety sauce with a zingy, fresh flavour, truly delicious. The trick to achieving that velvety texture is remember to add the sauce into the pasta once it's been drain and off the heat. You do not want to turn it into scrambled eggs!

Recipe:

(Serves 2)

200g linguine or spaghetti

2 egg yolks

zest and juice of 2 lemons

100ml crème fraiche or double cream

100g freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan 

Sea salt

Good quality extra-virgin olive oil

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes or according to the instructions on the packet, until al dente, i.e. just tender but still firm to the bite.

When the pasta is cooking, in a large bowl, add the egg yolks, lemon zest and juice, crème fraiche or double cream and the grated cheese and mix.

Once the pasta is cooked, turn off the heat and drain. Return the pasta to the pan and pour in the sauce. Stir to mix until the pasta are well coated with the sauce. The remaining heat from the pan and the pasta will slightly cook the sauce and thicken it. Season to taste with salt.

Serves in individual warmed bowls, with extra cheese and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil if you wish.