Pasta al Limone (with Fried Egg and Black Trumpet Salt)

I had an overabundance of lemons one week and in my quest to use them up, discovered pasta al limone. Whether by itself or as a base, it’s a delicious brunch that I can’t get enough of. Some people only use the pasta water rather than cream claiming it gives a smoother emulsified sauce. I find that using milk with pasta water provides the best of both worlds.

The black trumpet salt was just the dehydrated black trumpets I foraged this past summer packed with pink Himalayan salt. The earthy kick of truffle flavor (which is why I hold black trumpets dear) was perfect, and the fried egg made it decadent.

Ingredients

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 serving spaghetti/linguine pasta
• 2 cups Water
• 1/2 cup whole Milk
• 2 tablespoons cold butter
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, sunny side up
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Minced parsley for garnish (optional)
• Black Trumpet salt, to taste (optional)

1. Cook the pasta in 2 cups of water plus generous tablespoon of salt (less water makes it starchier, providing a better thickening agent for the lemon sauce.) Place pasta to the side.
2. In a pot, bring 1/2 cup pasta water and 1/2 cup milk to a boil. Add lemon zest and salt to taste.
3. Melt cold butter into sauce and whisk until fully emulsified. Add Parmesan cheese and whisk until incorporated into the sauce.
4. Mix pasta in with sauce and cook. If sauce tightens up too much, add more pasta water.
5. Put on plate, pour lemon juice over it, garnish with egg, truffle salt, and parsley. Generously crack black pepper over and serve.