if you love lemons this recipe is for you. It’s all store cupboard and really easy. The lemon makes it zingy and the almonds add a nutty crunch. It’s a popular primo in southern Italy and particularly in the summer. If you can get lemons from Sorrento even better, but it’s not essential at all.

Serves 2 but you can multiply it for more people

Ingredients

250g spaghetti

3/4 cup of finely chopped basil leaves plus some leaves for garnishing

1 lemon, zest and juice

1 cup of grated parmesan

1/2 cup of olive oil

1/2 cup of toasted chopped almonds

a big spoon of toasted breadcrumbs

How

Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet. Reserve half a cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.

in a big bowl mix the basil, lemon juice and zest, parmesan and olive oil with salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the spaghetti through and add a bit of the cooking water if it’s a bit dry, but don’t make it soupy, so just a tad.

Serve with sprinkled with the almonds,toasted breadcrumbs, a few basil leaves and a big grating of more parmesan. Delicious with a crisp green salad my Perfect Vinaigrette.