As some of you may know via social media, I recently made the move into Manhattan last week! This is something I have wanted to do ever since I was a young girl so this is a really exciting new chapter!!! A top priority when apartment hunting was finding a space that had a nice kitchen, and after quite a few tours we finally found the one.
Picking the first dish and recipe to make in this new space was important to me. I know it may sound silly, but I feel as though it’ll set the tone for the rest that’s to come. The first dish that came to mind is something that held a special meaning for my bestie turned roomie and I ~ Trofie Al Limone. A chance encounter on a late summer night landed as a table at this cozy Soho Italian spot, Coco Pazzo (which I was so sad to hear as since closed its doors🥺.)
This fresh & lemony pasta dish caught our eye and upon tasting it we knew we stuck gold. Light, creamy, lemony, and peppery this was the perfect pasta dish to us. I’ll spare you the details in our dramatic response to trying it, including some happy tears and FaceTime calls to share the word with friends and family. While I have taken my hand at recreating the dish a few times at home, I’ve never made it for Ashely so I thought it’d be a yummy and sentimental way to ring in the new kitchen.
While I do not have the actual recipe from the restaurant, this rendition is inspired by the flavors and tastes as I remember them. It only uses a handful of ingredients but transforms into a DELICIOUS pasta. See the recipe below and if you make it, I hope it can also relay a similar symphony of flavors for you and create memories.
HERE IS THE RECIPE!!! (PDF print out below 🫶)
Trofie Al Limone
Ingredients
1/2 Lemon, Thinly peeled & white pith removed ~ julienne sliced (thin strips)
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1 cup packed Pecorino Romano, Freshly grated
Fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 pound Trofie Pasta (I recently saw Trader Joe’s sells them!! But any pasta works…recommend long/short thin shapes here that will mimic lemon peel.)
1 tbsp Butter
Salt
Steps
Bring a large pot of water to the stove to begin boiling. In the meantime prepare the lemon zest & cheese.
Carefully peel a thin layer of 1/2 a lemon into strips. Use either a peeler or a paring knife to make strips. If there is excess white pith, carefully remove a layer of that as well (it will make it taste bitter.) Then, thinly slice the lemon peels into thin strips.
Grate the pecorino romano into a bowl, then add the juice of half a lemon and combine. It should be a dry, paste-like consistency.
Once the water is boiling, salt it well and add in the pasta with a timer 1 minute under al dente according to the package. Half way through the cook, use a ladle to add about 1-2 tbsp worth of pasta water to the cheese mixture. Stir to evenly combine ….(this is tempering the cheese so it does not immediately split on the hot pasta later.)
Grab a large skillet, enough to fit all the cooked pasta, and place over medium-low heat. Crack some fresh black pepper, after 30 seconds add the oil and swirl to bring out the flavor.
Before draining the pasta, use a mug to save some pasta water. Then drain the pasta and add immediately into the skillet with pepper. Toss well to combine and after 30 seconds, cut the heat and wait one minute….(this is to ensure the pasta and pan have the chance to slightly cool down before adding the cheese.)
Add the cheese mixture to the pasta along with some pasta water and begin stirring and tossing immediately to melt the cheese and form the sauce. Add more pasta water as needed.
Finish with the butter and lemon zest and give the pasta one more toss before serving.
ENJOY!!!
PDF of the recipe:
Have a question? Feel free to comment below!!!
Tried it out? Send me a picture and leave a review!! I love to see how your recreations turn out ❤️