I will say right here, right now, loud and clear: I hate limoncello. I know a lot of you love it, and I am in no way judging. To each his own. But there’s something about the combination of sugar and alcohol (and there is plenty of both in limoncello) that just doesn’t work for me.
As you know I was in the Limoncello Capitol of the world a few weeks ago. If the Amalfi coast has an official drink, then limoncello is it. From the minute I walked into my hotel room (there was a cute little bottle of it waiting for me) to our last beach side lunch (care for a little limoncello to help you digest?) I found myself saying no, no and no grazie more times than I can count.
For all my distaste of limoncello, I do actually love lemons. I especially love the plant itself, with its bright yellow orbs against shiny green leaves. Lemon trees define the landscape, with orchards stretching up and down the Amalfi Coast, filling the air with their sweet perfume. I also love cooking with the fruit itself. The juice, the zest, even the pulp are all my friends.
So while I was saying no to Limoncello in Positano, I was more than happy to say si to just about every other dish with limone in its description. In fact, one of my favorite things I ate during the trip was Fettuccine al Limone served at Ristorante Zass at Hotel Il San Pietro in Positano. I was totally seduced by the soft eggy noodles bathed in a rich lemony, buttery sauce studded with pistachios and fennel.
While I left my complimentary bottle of Limoncello in my hotel room (grazie, ma no), I did manage to come away with something even better: the recipe for this dish as well as a video of how it is made. As with all things seemingly simple, it’s all in the details. Yes, there is plenty of lemon, but instead of just the juice, a sweet tart lemon reduction is what gives this dish its punch. Blanched lemon zest goes in as well. But the trick (or so I learned in the Zass kitchen) is to finish cooking the pasta in the pan with all these flavorings as well as a ladle full of starchy pasta cooking water. That, along with a bit of butter (ok, more than a bit) and some grated parmigiano accounts for the creaminess. The setting didn’t hurt either. But I think you’ll be ok as long as you get your hands on some good lemons, view or no view.
fettuccine al limone
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 1
This recipe come courtesy of the Ristorante Zass in the Hotel Il San Pietro in Positano.
Ingredients
- 80 grams fresh fettuccine
- 20 grams finocchio, trimmed and cut into small cubes
- 1 clove garlic, chopped finely
- 1/8 tsp red pepper
- 1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon parboiled lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon chopped pistachio nuts
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped lemon grass
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1.5 tablespoons lemon reduction
- Lemon Reduction
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 30 grams sugar
Instructions
- To make lemon reduction place the sugar in a small pan and heat. Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve, then add the lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and let cook for about an hour, until it reduces by about two thirds.
- Chop garlic and add to pan with olive oil and red pepper and lemon grass.
- Heat over medium heat. When the garlic becomes fragrant, but before it browns, add the fennel, which you have trimmed and chopped into half inch cubes. Take the pan off heat
- Add the pasta to the salted cooking water.
- When the pasta is about 4 minutes from being done, add the chopped pistachios, parsley, blanched lemon peel to the pan with the garlic. Add a ladle full of the pasta cooking water and return to high heat, so that the fennel cooks.
- When the pasta is 2 minutes from being done, drain and add to the pan with the oil. Stir well, then add the butter and then the grated parmesan cheese. Stir again, and add the lemon reduction.
- Serve.
Notes
Note that this recipe serves one, since it was prepared for me in the kitchen of the Zass restaurant. Just multiply for more.
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I stayed at the Hotel Il San Pietro as their guest. The Michelin-starred restaurant Zass is located in the hotel and is open to the public.
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That song is EVERYTHING! I am looking forward to testing this recipe in a few weeks with a similar view.
Yay!!!!
Gillian – the older couple who live in the apartment 2 floors above “ours”, along with their son, work at/run Lo Guaracino, the restaurant on the walkway leading to Fornillo Beach. We happened to go there for dinner one night (good food and great view) and they (and their son) said “Ciao, we are your neighbors!” Haha! We would see them every night coming up the stairs from down below (didn’t realize the path was a shortcut to Fornillo Beach) and would waive and say “Buona Notte!” And they graciously told us that our late nights of drinking wine on the terrace and playing music on our portable speakers didn’t not bother them at all.
Have a great time and I left a few tealight candles and ice cube bags in the drawer. My luggage was too full of ceramics to bring them back!
Engred: I’ll be with Gillian, and we’ll toast you with the ice cubes made in your trays!
I love all things lemon both savoury and sweet.
Dear Elizabeth,
i’m a frequent reader and big fan of your blog! I’ve read that you often spend your vacation in puglia. My familiy and me plan to go there this july. gargano, ostuni area and salento. Can you recommend any restaurants in this area?
Best Regards,
Schila
Thank you! I haven’t been to those areas recently, and so can’t really recommend anything specific. Sorry!
Ciao Elizabeth,
Grazie mille! Video was wonderful & brought back memories of our vacation for my 40th 🙂
Keep them coming…
Catherine
Lovely recipe, were do you buy the lemon grass, Elizabeth
In Rome you can usually find it at the Mercato Esquilino and also at Campo dei Fiori. But don’t worry if you can’t find it, the chef told me it would be fine without it.
Dear Elizabeth,
Quantities of butter and parmesan…please.
The lemon grass is new to me…looking forward to eating with relish.
Thanks and all best,
Anne
Oops! Forgot. Will go and fix right away. Thanks for the catch!
At last, another person who doesn’t like limoncello.
Thank you for making me feel less of a loner where that is concerned.
The Amalfi coast is so impossibly beautiful and you have captured it perfectly in your video and pictures. Can’t wait to go back some day. In the mean time, I’ll be making that pasta and day dreaming about Positano.
How do you parboil the zest? On or off the lemon? What is the benefit of parboiling it?
The dish looks so delicious and I want to make it correctly.
The video is very helpful.
Thanks
To parboil the zest, but it into thin strips. Bring a small pot of water to boil, and put in the zest Let boil for 30 seconds, then drain immediately. This will take any bitterness away.
Trying this recipe very soon, so wonderful and I am a great fan of anything lemony. Also working on making my outdoor tables at least 40 feet longer:))
And then, of course, you’re going to have to make 40 times the amount of lemon pasta.
Your post is making me miss Italy! I’ve been lucky enough to go the past two summers, but I won’t be able to make it this summer. I’m going to live vicariously through you!! Your photos are beautiful and your pasta looks absolutely delicious!!
Elizabeth, My first taste reminded me of furniture polish, its one of those love or hate things…but the trophy lemons are nothing less than breathtaking.
I know what to make my wife for dinner however she will be drinking the lemoncello!
Wow, loved the video and thanks for the recipe. I will definately be trying it! take care, Maryann (Australia)
Love, love, love the video, the views of Positano and the recipe! Limoncello, vodka and seltzer…on the rocks…nice cocktail when you find yourself with an extra bottle of limoncello…
I like the vodka and the rocks part of this recipe…..:)
.Thank you. It looks delicious. However, what in the world are lemon zest, lemon reduction, and lemon grass? Also, it would help us backward people if you gave the info in ounces rather than grams
Lemon zest is the zest (peel of the lemon); I give the instructions for how to make lemon reductions, and lemon grass is…..lemon grass. It’s an asian ingredient that is pretty common these days. Sorry to have given grams, but if you watch the video you’ll see the quantities are more or less a few tablespoons of each of those ingredients. But if you’d like a more precise equivalent there are plenty of grams to ounces online calculators. Hope this helps!
Im in America . I would love to try this recipe however what is the equivalent to grams ?
thanks anna
I was given the recipe in grams and so wrote it up this way. But there are many online gram to ounce calculators you can use
Can’t wait to see the video (reading this on my phone in the airport on my way back from Pos). I made a very similar dish earlier this week when we were staying at a friend’s house in Raito (said friend is also a friend of Vito)! We didn’t have alot to eat in the house, but he (being the good Italian) did have spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, parm and a lemon tree in his garden, so spaghetti al limone came to be for dinner!
I tried this recipe earlier this week without the lemongrass – it was absolutely fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing!
Yay!!!