Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil

Simplicity at it's best, in a time of need :)

Today is only Monday, though it feels like a mid week already! It's always a dread to work through the weekend but I guess it's just part of the grind once in a while (hopefully just this once). The low point of working during weekend is that it robs me of precious sunlight to cook and photograph in merriment :)

I only manage a simple meal, which I admit I should have tried out this classically Southern Italian recipe a long time ago. I stumbled upon it again and this time I was sold by Smitten Kitchen purely based on Deb's words -- a tangled bowl of sunshine. How I long for more, but today it'll just have to come from this wonderfully simple meal, made at the last peek of dusk

A sprinkle of Parmesan tangled with lemon zest

Ingredients

• 200g spaghetti 
• 30g finely grated Parmesan cheese
•  2 lemons
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Small handful of baby spinach (or any fresh leaves)
• Sea salt and freshly ground blackpepper

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Directions

1. Cook pasta in a medium-sized pot with well-salted water to your al dente tastes
2. While pasta is cooking, zest 1 lemon to set aside and squeeze juices from both lemons
3. Once pasta is ready, drain water from pot but keep 1 cup of the pasta water and set pasta aside
4. Using back the same pot, add olive oil, heavy cream, lemon zest and pasta water on high heat
5. Stir for a couple of minutes and add in cooked pasta
6. Pour in lemon juice and sprinkle cheese over it 
7. Toss until it's evenly well coated

I top each bowl with fresh baby spinach but feel free to shred any other fresh leaves and toss in before serving. I love that it's light but full of flavour, even carnivorous Robin was munching happily :)