Truffle Lemon Butter Pasta With A Poached Egg
The poached egg really ties this dish together, the creamy yolk mellowing out the tang of the lemon juice. I have been dreaming of this dish for a while, first conceived when I took stock of the fridge right before the Covid19 lockdown.
This is a painfully simple dish to make, but hearty and delicious with a bright burst of flavor that has me dreaming of summer. I use the truffle sea salt I have on hand, but if you have fresh truffle, it works wonderfully as well. I add the truffle sea salt in at the end because I find it tends to lose flavor if put on high heat for too long.
Be liberal with your lemon zest, it’s what provides the lemony flavor without overpowering it by being too sour.
**I was invited to watch a Twitch stream from a friend of mine who runs a BJJ gym out in Georgia (Apex Conyers) which was actually completely unrelated to martial arts–his wife was cooking an amazing looking orzo dish, and I learned you can microwave a lemon (or any citrus fruit) for 20 seconds in order to easily be able to squeeze out all the juice. Where has this cooking tip been all my life?**
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 serving spaghetti pasta, cooked according to instructions
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon truffle sea salt
- 1 egg, poached
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
- Garnish with chive, parsley, or basil for optional garnish
- Cook spaghetti according to package. At the same time, poach an egg until the whites are just set.
- In a separate saucepan, place butter and olive oil together and saute lemon zest on medium high heat, for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add lemon juice and whisk quickly to emulsify. Remove from heat, add truffle sea sat and black pepper to taste.
- Place cooked pasta in a dish, pour sauce over it, and arrange poached egg on top. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and herbs, if using.