Umami Cooking

Still meaty with a dash of veggies, but better.

Linguine with anchovies and caramelized lemon

When life throws you a lemon, blanch it, caramelize it, and toss it with pasta, anchovies, chili, olive oil and butter. Deliriously good and so easy to make with a few pantry staples. Zesty and spicy with the deep umami richness of anchovies. Perfect for busy days or nights.
Linguine with anchovies and caramelized lemon
Pasta recipe
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 1 person
Course: Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: Italian
Label: Linguine
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Connie’s notes

Tip #1: Cook the pasta in generously salted water and undercook by about a minute. When tossed in the pan, it will finish cooking in the sauce.
Tip #2: Don’t skip the part about blanching the lemon. Do it — otherwise, the lemons will make the cooked pasta dish taste bitter.
Lemons, anchovies and parsley
Tip #3. If you’re not a fan of anchovies (but, really, give them a try!), you may substitute canned tuna or sardines. The cooked dish will NOT taste the same, the flavors will be diluted and you will lose the indescribable richness of anchovies cured in brine and packed in oil. But you’ll still have a lovely meal.
Adapted from NY Times’ Pasta With Fried Lemons and Chile Flakes

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or more, depending on your taste
  • 2 anchovy fillets plus more to garnish
  • 1 bird’s eye chili finely sliced
  • black pepper to taste
  • cooked linguine to serve one
  • grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley plus more to garnish

Instructions

  • Zest the lemon and set the grated zest aside.
  • Cut off the white pith covering the lemon and discard.
  • Cut the lemon into segments and pry off the seeds.
  • Boil of cup of water and blanch the lemon segments for a minute. Scoop out and drain on paper towels.
  • Heat the butter and olive oil. Add the blanched lemon segments with the sugar, lemon zest and chili. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and turns a shade darker. Don’t worry if the lemon segments almost liquefy.
  • Add the anchovy fillets, breaking them into bits as you stir.
  • Throw in the cooked pasta. Season with a little pepper. Toss to coat the noodles with sauce.
  • Add the Parmesan and parsley. Toss a couple of times more. Taste and add salt, if needed.
  • Twirl the pasta into a shallow bowl. Top with more anchovy fillets, chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.
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