This pasta recipe gets a burst of freshness from a bright lemon sauce, perfectly balanced with parmesan cheese and cream.

In Italy, the lemons are the size of watermelons. While that may be a slight exaggeration, some varieties that grown on the west coast of Italy are almost 5 times the size of the lemons grown in citrus-producing states like Florida. Italians take their food, especially their produce, very seriously. And in the region of the Amalfi Coast, lemons are the pride and joy and superstar of many regional dishes. Towns dotted along the seaside cliffs have winding roads and narrow houses and you’ll find lemon trees just about everywhere.

This is not a particularly healthy dish because you’re going to use heavy cream and a generous glug of it at that. But the lightness of lemon zest makes the taste feel effortlessly light. It’s a serious treat, something so simple and perfect and worth the extra calories. It’s a delightful dish for summer suppers, alongside a big green salad or roasted asparagus.

Luscious Amalfi Coast Pasta Recipe with Lemon Sauce 
Serves 2

Ingredients
2 servings fresh fettuccine or linguini
2 lemons 
½ cup olive oil
⅓ cup heavy cream
⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

This dish moves quickly so make sure you have all ingredients on hand. Bring 6 cups of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Do this 10-15 minutes before you start the sauce so the water is boiling rapidly by the time the sauce is simmering.

Meanwhile in a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over low heat. Using a small box grater or lemon zester, zest both lemons directly into the hot oil. Add the sugar and salt, turn the heat up to medium-high just for two minutes, then add the cream and parmesan and whisk rapidly together. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for five minutes.

Cook the fresh pasta in the boiling water for 3 minutes then use tongs to transfer the pasta to the sauce. Toss with tongs until completely coated and serve immediately with freshly ground black pepper.

Related on Eco Salon

Limoncello Sorbet Recipe 

Zesty Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad 

Nourish Your Body with a Mediterranean Diet Vacation 

Photos by Ally-Jane 

The post Luscious Amalfi Coast Pasta Recipe with Lemon Sauce appeared first on EcoSalon.

20 images that have us falling in love (again) with Mother Ocean.

We love the ocean. We swim in it, we sail on it, explore and swing lazily in hammocks alongside it. We recently wrote about 10 ocean conservation groups that are going above and beyond preserving that which we love. So for this World Oceans Week, while those groups are out protecting, we thought we’d show you 20 ways you can fall in love with the ocean again.

We are completely smitten.

Pu’uiki Beach Park, Honolulu Hawaii

Ocean City, New Jersey

Florianópolis, Brazil

Port Campbell, Victoria, Australia

Shipwreck, Miami, Florida

Morro Bay, California

Ceide Fields, Ireland

Steamers Lane, Santa Cruz, California

Underwater Cave, Fiji

Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean…

Oregon Coast

Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts

Coral Reef, Bermuda

“Jaws,” Maui Hawaii

Festival of Sails, Brisbane, Australia

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Ba-Ria Vung Tau, Vietnam

Redfish Rocks Marine Reserve, Oregon

San Agustinillo, Mexico

Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, Maine

Top Image: Sawyer Glacier, Alaska

The post 20 Inspiring Images of Our Beautiful Oceans appeared first on EcoSalon.