Photograph by Keirnan Monaghan Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero Prop Styling by Theo Vamvounakis

Photograph by Keirnan Monaghan Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero Prop Styling by Theo Vamvounakis

RUMPELSTILTSKIN

Spun-Gold Lemon Pasta

Mains from Issue 6 – Fall / Winter 2015 – Magic

It all began with a lie: a poor miller boastfully claiming to the king
that his beautiful daughter could spin straw into gold. The greedy king locked her in a room and commanded her to start spinning or face death; desperate, she accepted the offer of help from a strange little man named Rumpelstiltskin, promising him her necklace, then her ring, then her first child, in exchange. Here, the straw is spaghetti, and the alchemical reaction of turning it into a coiled spindle of golden goodness comes not with the help of a bizarre character who sneaks into your room at night, but with the addition of lemon and sunny egg yolks.

serves 4

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 large egg yolks
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup lemon juice
1 lb linguine

1
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook garlic in oil over low heat until softened. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, lightly whisk the yolks and heavy cream. Stir in cheese, zest, and juice.
2
Cook the pasta until al-dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking liquid then drain. Immediately return the hot pasta to the pot. (Keep the pot on the warm burner but with the flame off.) Stir in the garlic oil then egg mixture tossing to coat creating a smooth and creamy sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3
Serve immediately with extra cheese on the side.