CREAMY GIN & LEMON PASTA

We love pasta. We love cream. We love lemons. And we luuve Gin. Combined together, these flavours work well and we have fallen in love with this creamy, fresh and flavourful pasta dish that could not be easier to make. It’s as simple as zesting and cutting a couple of lemons, adding a bit of cream and a generous amount of gin together with your favourite pasta.

Here’s how to whip it up:

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lemons
• 250ml double cream
• 80ml gin
• Cooked pasta, we used spaghetti
• Salt

Black pepper, freshly ground
Fresh basil or parsley, finely chopped
Parmesan or pecorino cheese, to serve

METHOD:

1. Zest one lemon, making sure that you don’t get any of the pith (white inner which is bitter). Set aside.
2. Cut a slice from each end of the zested lemon. Next cut the remaining skin and pith away from the lemon.
3. Cut the lemon into slices. Pull the segments away from the tough inner membrane and set aside in a small bowl. Remember to remove any pips. Tip any lemon juice into the bowl too.
4. Juice the second lemon.
5. In a small saucepan, gently heat the cream, gin and lemon segments until the liquid boils. Simmer on the lowest heat for about 5 min, or until the sauce begins to thicken.
6. Cook dried pasta in lightly salted boiling water according to the packet instructions, until al dente.
7. Drain the pasta.
8. As the pasta is draining, add the lemon juice, half of the lemon zest and salt (to taste) to the sauce. Reheat the sauce if required.
9. Toss the drained pasta with the warmed sauce and a handful of finely chopped fresh basil or parsley.
10. Serve with freshly ground black pepper, the rest of the lemon zest and a little more chopped basil.
11. Serve with a few curls of parmesan or pecorino cheese, if that is how you like it.

This pasta sauce is a game-changer for those dinners when you need to make something quick, easy and so tasty on the fly.

GINJOY!