Pici (or linguine or macaroni) with lemon and pepper

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 250 g pasta (pici or linguine or macaroni)
• 3 liters of salt water
• 200 ml cream
• 2 large lemons, untreated
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp pepper, coarsely ground
• Salt
• 200 g Parmesan, freshly grated
• some saffron, if desired

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 7 minutes; Total time approx. 17 minutes

Tuscan pasta with a cream sauce made from pepper and lemon zest

Cook the pasta in 2-3 liters of water with plenty of salt according to the package instructions. In the meantime, heat the cream, grate the lemon zest, and add it. Add the pepper and olive oil and bring to a simmer. Then leave over medium heat until the pasta is done. Drain the pasta water and leave about 2-3 tablespoons of the water in the bowl with the pici; this will create an additional binding effect due to the dissolved starch. Stir in the cream and then the grated Parmesan cheese in small portions. Serve best with freshly ground pepper on top. For a more beautiful color, you can also boil a small amount of saffron with the cream. Pici are thick spaghetti. Since they are hard to find in Germany, you can also use linguine or macaroni.