Lemon Spaghetti with Comte, Walnuts and Chicken

I spend several hours a week reading recipes, looking for new (and easy) ideas. After 41 years of marriage and cooking, ways to satisfy The Man become challenging. Don’t get me wrong, The Man is thankful for anything I serve and he never criticizes… but I know… when he says nothing, he’s less than thrilled…

Recently while reading recipes I came across an online recipe for Lemon Spaghetti (it was in my google newsfeed). The recipe was simple and intrigued me because it created a lemon water for cooking the spaghetti. The recipe called for Parmesan, herbs, spices and EVOO. That was pretty much it.

A few days ago I decided to make it. I thought I had taken a screenshot of the recipe for later use… but alas… I hadn’t. Back-up plan – go to google. My search found hundreds of lemon pasta recipes. But not the one I wanted. At the Pasta project, I found a recipe created by Neapolital Michelin star chef, Peppe Guida  that did incorporate the lemon water angle. But, it was not the recipe I wanted. Many of the recipes I read added lemon juice and zest to the sauce but did not incorporate the lemon water angle.

Some of the recipes suggested adding chicken or shellfish, especially lobster or shrimp. I had some frozen chicken I needed to use and decided to go with chicken as added protein and to satisfy The Man… if it doesn’t have protein, then it isn’t dinner.

I also had toasted walnuts leftover from a recent cheese event which I crushed and tossed into the sauce for added texture and flavor.

Because I love Comte, I decided to use it for the sauce.

I made the recipe two ways and The Man and I preferred the second way.

In version one, in addition to using lemon water to cook the spaghetti, it added lemon juice and zest to the sauce. For The Man and me, these made the dish too lemony with a bitter aftertaste. If you like lots of lemon then add the juice and zest. (If you want to make this version add 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon lemon zest to the sauce.)

In version two I used the lemon water for cooking the spaghetti, omitting the juice and zest. This version worked better; the lemon more subtle and added a delightful tang to the dish.

Also, the recipes using lemon water suggested lemon leaves as an optional ingredient for the water. I did not use leaves.

One additional enjoyment. After letting the lemon water cool, I took the lid off the Dutch oven and the lemon aroma was amazing.

Here’s what I did:

To make the lemon water:

Water

Cut up rind pieces from 2 lemons

Lemon leaves (optional)

I started with an enamel cast iron Dutch oven and added about 3 inches of water. I peeled the rind off in strips and tossed into the water. I brought water to a boil and immediately removed the lemon water from the heat. I let it sit for 4 hours to infuse the lemon into the water. Toss the rind and leaves before cooking the spaghetti.

Sauce for spaghetti:

1/4 cup EVOO

1/3 cup grated Comte

1/4 cup toasted and crushed walnuts

a few leaves of fresh basil, chiffonade

Combine all ingredients and put aside while you cook the spaghetti.

Chicken:

Fix chicken the way you like it – grill or fry or sauté. I had some frozen, breaded chicken strips and I heated them in my Emeril Air Fryer.

Cooking the spaghetti:

8 ounces dry spaghetti.

Bring lemon water to a simmer; gently simmer the spaghetti on the low heat and stir often to keep the pasta from becoming sticky. Once it is al dente, drain.

To serve:

After draining the pasta, toss with sauce; twirl into round mounds; top with chicken.

Enjoy. Clean up after yourself.

In addition to being a member of the Internationale Guilde des Fromagers (Jura and Garde) and an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, I am a Certified ServSafe Food Production Manager with certifications that also include ServSafe Certified Instructor and Proctor. I am available for cheese events, cheese program development, cheese training, food safety training and 3rd party food safety auditing. See my About Me and Resume pages for more details or call me at 360 921 9908 to discuss availability.

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