Spaghetti al Limone: Memories of London......

"Every recipe has its memories. In this book we have interpreted classic recipes learned in Italy while cooking with friends, chefs and wine makers who have shared their traditional and regional family favourites.
This is the food we love to eat when we are in Italy, the food we cook at The River Cafe, and the food we cook at home for our families."

Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers

I made this recipe for the first time over 10 years ago. I had taken a year off from my undergrad to travel and found myself working as a nanny for a family in Belsize Park, a beautiful borough in London, England.

One morning, I was handed a River Café Cookbook and asked to prepare Spaghetti al Limone for a very special reunion lunch. The recipe was simple and fresh and it turned out beautifully. To this day, I remember that sunny spring afternoon, not because of the company or the gorgeous surroundings but because of the food!

Since that day, I’ve made this dish many times, never again using or needing a recipe. Here is my interpretation of The River Cafe's Spaghetti al Limone.

Note: this is more of an idea than a recipe. Play with the amount of each of the ingredients until you get the flavor you want!

Ingredients
¼ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ C Freshly Grated Parmesan
The zest and juice from one medium-sized lemon
A bit of salt and pepper
250g Spaghetti Noodles (I use Kamut noodles)

The trick is to whisk the first 3 ingredients in a warm serving bowl while the pasta boils in salted water. When the noodles are just cooked through, drain them quickly and add to the warm serving bowl. As you gently combine the pasta and sauce, the heat from the noodles and bowl melt the parmesan, giving it all a lovely, glossy coat.

Serve with some salt, pepper and another sprinkling of parmesan. I also try to add a little green to this recipe: broccoli and peas both work well.

The River Café originated on the north bank of the Thames in Hammersmith, London. This Italian restaurant focuses on farmhouse style Italian cooking: simple, fresh, and in season. “Their menus are tweaked constantly (sometimes twice a day) to respond to the seasons and what is best in the market, with simplicity the key.” Jamie Oliver (one of my favs!) worked in the Café for over 3 years, and it was at The River Café where Jamie made his television debut, in a documentary about the restaurant.

The River Café Cook Book Green is on my Mother’s Day Wish List!

"River Café Cook Book Green is our seasonal cook
book divided into twelve chapters, one for each month, designed to inspire both cooks and gardeners. It contains over 200 recipes with each chapter focusing
on which fruit and vegetables are at their prime in that month, giving comprehensive notes on how to select
the best quality and how to recognise some of the
more unusual Italian vegetables such as cime di rapa
(a variety of turnip tops), trevise and borlotti beans."

Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers

Buon appetito!