(Serves 4-6)
- 1 lb spaghetti
- zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 1 stick of butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
- 4 Tb extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cups basil leaves, julienned
- ½ cup finely grated Romano or parmesan cheese. Additional cheese as a garnish if you like
- salt and pepper
Prepare the spaghetti according to package directions, which generally will be to bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, stir it often enough to keep it from sticking to itself and cook until al dente, about eight-10 minutes.
Reserve half a cup of the pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta.
In the pot you cooked the pasta in, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in the olive oil. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and the half-cup of pasta water, and stir until well combined. Add the spaghetti to the pot and toss to coat. Add the remaining tablespoons of butter and gently continue to toss the spaghetti until they’ve melted into the rest of the sauce. Add the cheese and the salt and pepper, again tossing to incorporate. Add the basil, toss again and serve. Option: Top each individual serving with additional grated cheese.