The Italian Kitchen: Beef Tortellini al Limone

 

Pasta al Limone originated in Campania, a southern region of Italy. It is served throughout Italy especially during the summer, when lemons are plentiful. There are two ways to make Pasta al Limone. One is with a cream sauce, and one is without. Usually, the dish is made with spaghetti or linguine. However, I used a beef tortellini pasta instead. 

The ingredients used were tortellini, juice and zest of 1 lemon, 1 TBSP olive oil, 2TBSP butter, 2 tsp garlic powder, chopped basil, 1/4 tsp silk chili flakes, and parmesan cheese grated. It is a really simple dish to whip up but it has quite a bit of flavor to it. The only thing I did not use was pepper. Next time, I think I will add some Wild Timur Peppercorn which has a citrusy taste to it so it will go well. 

This is a true 30 minutes or less meal from start to finish. I started by setting a pot of water with salt to boil. While that heated up, I zested and juiced the lemon and grated the parmesan cheese to be used. 

Once the water was boiling, I added the pasta and cooked until al dente, or for the tortellini, cook until they float, then drain and set aside, after reserving 1 C of starch water. 

In a saucepan, add the olive oil, butter, garlic, and silk chili, cook until garlic changes color, but be careful not to burn it. Then add the pasta back in the sauce with a bit of starch water and the lemon juice and zest and toss to combine. I added in a bit of chopped basil and topped with some parmesan. Once it was all combined, I baked in the oven to finish, but this is optional. 

This dish had some pops of flavor with the garlic and lemon. Some bites were like an explosion of lemon, and it was so refreshing. This dish was so light without all of the heavy sauces and most of the ingredients were a pantry staple. This allows you to make a last-minute decision in making the dish. Instead of using tortellini, you can use spaghetti and add meat like chicken if desired. You could also add vegetables or use different herbs, like parsley. If you decide to use dried herbs instead of fresh just remember to rehydrate them in the sauce.