Ingredients
4 lemons
1 pound spaghetti
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Pinch of sugar
3 tablespoons butter
¾ teaspoon chile flakes
⅔ cup parmesan cheese
Black pepper
⅓ cup parsley, chopped
Preparation
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Zest 2 of the lemons and set aside. cut of the tops and bottoms off the other 2 lemons and cut lengthwise into quarters. remove all seeds Thinly slice the quarters crosswise into triangles. Blanch the lemon pieces in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a dish towel. Blot dry. In the boiling water, add pasta and cook until just barely al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat. Add the dried lemon pieces and season with a pinch each of salt and sugar. Cook until the lemons are caramelized and browned at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Melt the butter with the remaining oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the chile flakes and zest of both lemons; cook until fragrant. Whisk in the reserved pasta water. Toss in pasta, juice of 1 lemon, cheese, pepper and the remaining salt. Cook until pasta is well coated with sauce. Toss in the caramelized lemon and parsley.
