Classic Lemon Pasta (Peperoncino Style)

Garlic is not the star today, so crush it with a knife instead of mincing. After lightly crushing it, chop it just a little more to bring it together. Use the chili pepper whole without cutting, since you don't want too much heat.

Cut the lemon in half per serving and slice it slightly on the thick side. You will use both the acidity of the flesh and the fragrance of the peel, so slice it with the peel on and use it directly in the sauce.

Add 30g of salt to 2L of water and start boiling the linguine for 12 minutes. The sauce comes together quickly, so cook the pasta first.

Put olive oil, the crushed garlic, and the chili pepper in a frying pan and heat until it begins to bubble.

Once it starts bubbling, lower the heat to very low and soften the garlic. If the temperature rises too much, turn off the heat once and wait for the bubbling to settle before continuing. Stop when it is just lightly colored.

Add the lemon slices. This is the most important point: never use high heat. Keep the pan flat and the heat low, simmering the lemon gently in the oil so the acidity of the flesh and the fragrance of the peel dissolve into it.

After a few minutes, when the lemon turns translucent, turn off the heat. You may remove the garlic if you prefer, but if you keep it, crush it and leave it in the oil sauce.

Make the cheese sauce. Add roughly an equal amount of cooled pasta water to 20g of Parmesan cheese and mix until it becomes a paste like miso. Add the pasta water little by little to adjust to your preferred thickness.

For a smoother cream, add a splash of pasta water and blend until completely smooth. If you don't have a blender, leave it as a paste, or simply sprinkle the cheese on top as is.

Remove the chili pepper just before the pasta finishes cooking. Add the lightly drained pasta to the pan and first combine it with the oil and lemon base. Finish with residual heat, without turning on the burner.

Finally, add the cheese base and mix quickly with residual heat, without turning on the burner. Once the sauce coats the noodles thickly, plate and serve.