Lemon Garlic Fettuccine

Let me start by saying I love where I live. 🏡I love the weather in middle Georgia and
I genuinely love the people that I've met here. 🌞 I love the schools and neighborhood that my children were privileged enough grew up in and I love that I've been able to witness the transformation of this small town into a thriving community with great parks,  business and restaurants. 🍻

What I don't love is that this little town that I've called home for the last 16 years, is so very far away from my family.  😔 I'm forever wishing that my family lived closer so that I could visit them more often.   I make my best pitch to try and convince them to move South and then this happens.  👉🏻😂

"BRAKE LIGHTS OUT GETTING FIXED ASAP DONT HIT ME PLEASE". 😂 I parked next to this vehicle in our little front of the fanciest restaurant in our little downtown. 😅 It's really an ultra polite way of informing other motorists that the vehicle is in need of maintenance.  Polite - yes.  Effective? - Maybe not so much.  🤷🏻‍♀️ I do love the fact that the owner of this vehicle had the chutzpah to think that attaching this handwritten sign to the tailgate would serve as sufficient warning to the other drivers in our small town.  ​Like I said before - I love the people that make of this community.

Another thing that I love about living here is the fact that I can grow new and different things in my yard here than I could in the colder climates that we've lived in.  I've been the proud owner of a Meyer Lemon tree and it's grown to quite an impressive plant over the past 12 years that it's been under my care. 🍋I realize just how "impressive" it really is every Fall when I have to bring it indoors for the winter. 😅 It's definitely a hassle to move but the giant lemons that I get from my tree makes it worth all the effort.  

My meyer lemons are precious and I carefully scrutinize all lemon recipes because I don't want to sacrifice one of my cherished home grown lemons on an unworthy recipe.  Most of the time, I use store bought lemons in new recipes but this Lemon Garlic Fettuccine was an exception.  The ingredients are simple.  The lemon is highlighted and I deemed this one worthy of one of my beloved lemons.  

Lemon Garlic Fettuccine
2 Meyer lemons
2 teaspoons white sugar
3 Tablespoons olive oil
9 ounces fettuccini
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Zest 2 lemons into long strips with a zester or peeler.  Grate 2 lemons with a microplane.

Cut 1/2" from top and bottom of 2 lemons.  Cut pith away from fruit.  Slice at membranes to separate. 

Discard seeds and add segments to a bowl with juices.   Add 1/2 t. sugar and 1/2 t. salt.

Mix grated zest, 1/2 t. sugar and 1/2 t. salt together with fingers.  Stir in 1 T. oil.

Combine 2 quarts water, 2 t. salt, 1 t. sugar and lemon zest strips.   Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.  

Remove zest.  Add pasta and cook 9 minutes.  Reserve 1 1/2 cups water then drain pasta.  

In skillet, cook 2 T. oil, garlic and red pepper flakes, 1-2 minutes.  

Add lemon segments and juices and cook 30 seconds.  

Add mixture to the pasta in the pot, along with 1/2 cup reserved pasta water.  

Add grated lemon zest mixture and parsley.  Chop zest strips and add to mixture.  

Toss again until pasta is sauced.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with parmesan.  

My pictures might look a little different from your recipe because I cut the recipe in  half.  You know - cooking for two.  👫 It was actually super simple to divide the recipe.  I served this pasta as a side to some breaded chicken breasts.  We both ate more than we probably should have - and still had leftovers. 😉

​Ciao!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe