Lemon Pasta & Cinque Terre

Lemon blossom

Lemon scent mixed with jasmine, rose and sea breeze added another layer of intoxication to our stay in Cinque Terre. The crisp air hinted with perfume was the final straw of drunken pleasure in the land of simple raw beauty.

(Photo of a lemon blossom.)

 

Lemons and umbrellas

 

If you are a "foodie" Cinque Terre will grab you the moment you wake up.

Fish is their speciality, as is white wine…

The umbrella covered terraces, encourages one to sit and sip, but it is the aroma of a meal well prepared that knocks you off your feet wrapping you in lemon, garlic, tomato….

 

Fishing boats cinque terre

 

Small boats snugged in a small habor.

 

 

Judy in cinque terre

 

Cousin Judy walking along the tiny streets in one of the villages.

 

Lemon festival

 

There was a Lemon Festival (every May), though we were a day late. Though there were plenty of lemons, enough to make lemonade for the entire world … my excitement causes me to exaggerate at times.

 

Cinque terre countryside

We stayed in a bed and breakfast in a neighboring seaside village next to Cinque Terre. Our view was the photo above.

(I'll add links later in the week to the places we stayed and restaurants.)

Lemons monterosso

Are you a lemon fan?

Do you like Limoncello?

 

  Lemons for pasta

 

 

 

In a saute pan swirl chopped garlic, walnuts and a dash of olive oil. This will give them a chance to share perfumed notes with one another.

When the two are golden brown let a river of cream flow over them. Though before the cream should start to boil add the juice of the lemon, nice and easy, as not to curdle the cream and spoil the fun.

As the cream thickens toss in spoonfuls of freshly grated Parmesan and a half of a spoon of grated lemon rind, stir often.

Mix the lemon sauce over spaghetti.

Remember to serve it have a loaf of crusty bread to soak up every ounce of the lemon-y walnut sauce.

Exact measurements are not my style, I figure if the ingredients are fresh it seldom matters.

_______________________

 

What is your favorite Italian dish?

 



Comments

37 responses to “Lemon Pasta & Cinque Terre”

  1. That pasta sounds so good!! I love lemons, must try this then! 🙂

  2. Frances

    What jealous ? Me ? No, I much prefer sitting at home with a technical translation to hanging out in Cinque Terre ! It does look wonderful – can almost smell the scents looking at your photos..

  3. Any fresh pasta with a tasty sauce will do, be it the one described above, or pesto, or tomato with lots of herbs and spices. However, I am not fond of the baked pasta dishes.

  4. Definitely trying this tonight! Corey, of all your great photos, the last one on this post is just an incredible shot.

  5. Limoni non trattati di Monterosso – I am coming!
    Gorgeous pictures, Corey.
    xxx

  6. Lemonade and Limoncello are delicious. My favorite Italian dish is one with a fork.

  7. Lasagna, always…………….if only the glyten-free one were a little closer to the original……

  8. Who knew lemon blossoms are pink! I’m making lemon walnut pasta for dinner tonight…thanks, J-

  9. Seeing the view from your room reminded me of hiking between villages there and literally through peoples back yards and seeing their daily life. Sweet.

  10. Oh Corey, these photos are amazing. You sure have been experiencing all of the world’s best places, haven’t you?
    My favorite Italian dish is lasagna. If it is made well, I’m silent as I savor each bite.
    Now I’m hungry….lol

  11. Mmmm. Sounds fabulous. I love lemons. I will have to try that.
    My favorite Italian dish is Puttanesca, so simple, so delicious.

  12. Outstanding photos today Corey! A lemon muse….hmmm. My favourite dish is palia e. fieno (sp). p.s. Cousin Judy has a great haircut!

  13. Love Limoncello! And Italy! I’m so enjoying your travels!

  14. Brenda L. in TN.

    It must be heavenly to live in such a beautiful colorful place as this…
    I’m with Sam who said “…one with a fork…” as to favorite Italian dish…

  15. Ooh, I’m gettin’ such saudades for the Bay Area now!
    You’re reminding me of my aunt’s mature Meyer lemon tree that produced fruit by the grocery-sackful. I’d always bring a bag in my checked luggage on the flight home, to juice and zest for the freezer — would freeze the juice in ice-cube trays, then put the frozen cubes in cartons or freezer-bags; zest (sans white) would go into a little freezer-bag, so I could later just chisel away however much a recipe called for.
    And my parents’ next-door neighbors always shared from the backyard Eureka (the tart supermarket variety) lemon tree they planted, once it began bearing — as well as urging my folks to help themselves to fruit on the lime tree they also planted, along the property lines between their and my parents’ yards by the gate…
    Pasta? Gotta be vegetarian! Ditto pizza.

  16. I live for lemons! Those were the most beautiful photographs ever! I can only imagine what that scenery would be like with the beautiful fragrances added…Oh MY!

  17. Love this! From images, to food, your story… I can picture it, and smell it, and feel the atmosphere. It makes me wanna pick up my Passport, and go… right now!
    I am definitely making this pasta as well..

  18. georgie

    Caprese salad-with fresh from the garden basil and tomatoes and the freshest possible mozzarella from the store. Garlic bread. Favorite lemon dishes are lemon cake or lemon poppyseed muffins-with lots of lemons. Tea with extra extra lemon. The Cinque Terre looks heavenly.

  19. Just love anything with lemon, even limoncello. Your recipe sounds delicious.

  20. We’ll have to share some cold white wine soon 🙂
    I’m making that lemon pasta for supper tonight! thanks for the good idea 🙂

  21. I’m so tired of the usual ways of preparing pasta…now I have a new “sauce” to create and give new life to tired pasta 😉 Merci!! Bella!!

  22. I love lemon sauce and pasta. There is a tiny restaurant on the lower east side of Manhattan that makes an amazing version of it.
    I am not a take home left overs person but this was my exception. I placed the remaining pasta in the container from the restaurant and covered it with every remaining drop of the sauce that I could extract from the dish.
    I walked happily through the streets with the lovely lemony aroma wafting from my bag.
    ….until I realized that the aroma was wafting because the container has spring open and was leaking my luscious sauce all over the bag.
    The nearest waste receptacle had a lovely treat.

  23. Victoria Ramos

    My favorite dish ever was tortellini al a panna at cafe riggio in San Francisco……ahh, I can still taste and smell it. Your photos are to die for…which I was there!

  24. What a wonderful time spent with your cousins! It’s hard to believe that lemons are in season somewhere in the world when it’s finally just reached the 70s here in Minnesota. The violets just bloomed, for cying out loud! (I posted about them on my blog last week.)
    Now I’m hankering for lemonade…

  25. I just bought a tall bottle of Limoncello that was bottled by Danny Divito in Italy. Haven’t tasted it yet. Maybe today would be a good day for that!!
    Wish I were there……….sign

  26. i’m thinking this would be even better with shrimp or lobster and plan to make it this weekend! thanks!

  27. I had a hankering for pasta tonight so your recipe is much appreciated. I just had to buy the walnuts and cream. Supper is now over and It was delicious, I curdled the cream but didn’t care, it smelled too good not to eat. Thank you for the recipe Corey and the beautiful pictures.

  28. Oh! My mouth is watering!! I have to get my hands on some lemons and walnuts and try that recipe ASAP.

  29. I like it very much, thank you

  30. Yum! Will definitely try this pasta! I have an almost empty bottle of lemoncello in the freezer. Favorite Italian meal has to be one we had years ago in the Dolomite mountains during mushroom season. Every course was made with different freshly picked mushrooms. I thought I had died and gone to heaven it was that good. Definitly one of my most memorable meals because I had no idea there would be so many courses and did NOT pace myself.

  31. Lemons, pasta, Italy. Three of my favorite things! After your reference to the lemon pasta the other day, decided to make it for dinner one night this week. Tonight was it! Too bad I was on my own before you posted the recipe today. Amazingly close, I just added some basil and used penne. Used up the seed bread I made yesterday morning. Thanks for sharing your Italy pictures. How I long to return!

  32. Fettucine Alfredo all the way! 🙂

  33. Polento and rissoto. I love Italian food.

  34. oh, where to start?! I think the Italian cuccina is my favourite anyway; I simply LOVE everything coming in my view finder and then going through my mouth and doing me good….
    but, if I must, here in no particular order, some of the favourites jumping to my starved mind:
    spaghetti with every conceivable sauce
    lasagna
    polenta
    cima di rapa (a quiet bitter but oooh so good veggie)
    every single vegetable & salad (ruccola/rocket) they cultivate
    parmesan and mozzarella di buffola
    meat stuff:
    salami tipo milano
    Parma ham
    Bresaolo
    involtini (v.thinly sliced veal, with a second layer of ham with a delicious filling of herbs, cheese, mix your own delights!), quickly made and even quicker cooked….
    must stop now, I am literally starving!!!!
    just to finish: I learned to drink REAL COFFEE in Italy too, un caffè is what is universally called an espresso, have it even smaller, you’ll get a ristretto…. yammy, yammy.
    and SI, I love lemons too, and LEMON SORBET, AND CITRONELLA.. and vino rosso…

  35. …Eggplant Parmigiana…
    and the Lemon Walnut Pasta might just be my new favorite…I didn’t see any satisfactory walnuts when I shopped, so I made them with pine nuts, the kind you get in Lebanese tea…and it was smashingly delish….I think a lot of variations could go into that pan with the lemon and cream! I’ll use walnuts next time! Thanks, Corey!

  36. That sauce sounds divine, Corey. I don’t believe I’ve ever had it. My favorite?? Omigoodness, I’m an utter traditionalist. Spaghetti with meatballs so tender they melt in your mouth.

  37. provides some of the spectacular hiking opportunities, very few can be compared with it. Located on the Ligurian coast, all the five islands are linked by rail and offers breathtaking view one after the other.

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