In 1999, I had an intimate lunch with Sophia Loren when on she was on a tour in Toronto promoting her book: Sophia Loren’s Recipes & Memories. This delicious dish was served as a small course at Trattoria Giancarlo – the stellar restaurant in Little Italy closed after 30 years in 2020. This dish was inspired by chef Jenny Barato’s pasta dish and Sophia’s recipe for Spaghetti al Limone. I usually use fresh store-bought pasta for it.
8 oz/250g long pasta (spaghetti, linguine or fettucine)
3 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup whipping (35%) cream, divided
1 heaping tbsp lemon zest
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Cook the pasta in the big saucepan of salted water until al dente.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic; cook it until it is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup of the cream. Whisk until smooth.
When the pasta is finished cooking, transfer it with tongs to the skillet along with the remaining cream over low heat. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Toss well with tongs, making sure that all of the pasta is coated. Add Parmesan and parsley. Taste and add salt and pepper. Top with more lemon zest if desired.
Makes about 4 servings.