Lemony Ricotta, Basil and Thyme Linguine

My recent stay in Corsica was great! I got to enjoy some much needed time off under the sun with my friends and family. I caught up on my summer reading by the pool and on my sleep in a hammoc. Oh how good life can be! Being back in Paris quickly brought me back to reality though, a.k.a rain eveyday, and work. So as an attempt to bring back some good summer vibes and reminisce about Corsican days, I decided to make a summery pasta dish.

Our house had a bunch of citrus trees in the garden. Lemons, lime, tangerines, and even what we identified as some kind of hybrid between lemons and oranges. It was a paradise for a citrus fruit lover. Every day we’d make some fresh lemonade, and sip it by the pool. Once again: heaven!

 

My inner chef also loved the fresh herbs that were growing right by our kitchen. Fresh thyme, and basil: simple and elegant. By the end of my stay, I had a sudden urge to make a pasta dish using all these ingredients. Lemon, thyme, and basil pasta, with an extra dollop of ricotta to make it creamier. The sauce is so quick and easy, you can make it while the pasta cooks. It’s also single-pot friendly, because who’s got time to wash the dishes over break? This dish tastes like summer in a plate, and like my Corsican stay more specifically! It is best enjoyed with a glass of good red wine on a warm, and sunny summer evening. Bon appétit!

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Total time: 15 minutes Ingredients: serves 3

• 8 oz. linguine (or any pasta)
• 1/2 lemon zest, and 1/4 lemon juice
• 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
• a bunch of fresh basil
• 1/4 cup fresh ricotta
• 1/2 cup parmesan
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• about 1/2 cup pasta cooking water
• sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Put salted water to a boil in a medium pot.
2. Meanwhile, chop the basil and thyme finely and set aside.
3. Cook the pasta for the time indicated on the packaging (about 10 minutes). Set about a 1/2 cup of cooking water aside, and drain the rest.
4. Squeeze the lemon juice in a bowl and grate the zest. Add the ricotta, parmesan, pasta water, olive oil, thyme and salt & pepper. Mix well, toss with the pasta in the pot, and serve topped with some more fresh basil and ground pepper. Enjoy!

Temps total: 15 minutes Ingrédients:

• 240g linguine (ou autres pâtes)
• zeste d’1/2 citron, et jus d’1/4 de citron
• 3 branches de thym frais
• une grosse poignée de basilic frais
• 180g de ricotta fraiche
• 50g de parmesan
• 1 c.s d’huile d’olive
• sel & poivre

Etapes:

1. Mettez de l’eau salée à bouillir.
2. Pendant ce temps, ciselez finement le basilic et effeuillez le thym.
3. Faites cuire les pâtes pendant le temps indiqué (environ 10 minutes). Réservez une bonne cuillère d’eau de cuisson et égouttez le reste avant de remettre les pâtes dans la casserole.
4. Dans un bol, pressez le quart de citron, et réservez le zeste. Ajoutez la ricotta fraîche, le parmesan, l’eau de cuisson, la cuillère d’huile d’olive, du sel et du poivre. Versez cette sauce sur les pâtes, ajoutez les herbes fraiches, et mélangez le tout énergiquement, avant de servir ces pâtes décorées de quelques feuilles de basilic en plus. Bon appétit!

 

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