There’s a restaurant in the East Village (NYC) called Frank, no it’s not mine. That’s were I was first introduced to spaghetti al limone. It’s as simple as it sounds, lemon juice, lemon zest, and a well emulsified sauce of parm, and pasta water. I’ve made it countless times, but one day I was feeling frisky, and decided to try making it with a preserved lemon, a little butter, and MSG. Oh where the imagination can take you! Simplicity made less simple, ha! you know what, It’s wildly delicious!

for 2

INGREDIENTS

1/2 pound (220g) spaghetti

2 tablespoons (30g) kosher salt

1 preserved lemon, chopped

4oz (110g) grated parmigiano

2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter

MSG to taste

Calabrian chili paste to taste

STEPS:

Set a large pot filled with 3-4 quarts of water over high heat, once boiling, add the salt, and the spaghetti. Set a timer for 10 minutes.

Set a sauté pan over medium heat, add the butter, the preserved lemon, and the MSG.

Grate your cheese, 4oz may look like a lot more than you think, especially if using a microplane. I recommend weighing the cheese - the dish may be too bright if the cheese quantity isn’t right/enough.

If there’s a fair bit of time left on the pasta and the butter is turning brown (which is ok up to a point) add a little pasta water to rehydrate everything and slow the cooking.

When the pasta is done, add it to the pan with 1/4c of the pasta water - turn the flame to high and mix well and constantly until you hear some bubbling, about 2 minutes.

Turn off the heat, add the cheese, mix well. Adjust to make it just slightly wetter than you think (because the pasta will absorb a little more liquid as it cools).

serve immediately.