Creamy Lemon Pasta

Finely grate the zest of the lemons. Squeeze the juice and you should have at least ⅓ cup, maybe a little more. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than the time indicated on the package.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ¾ of the fresh lemon juice (set the remainder aside for later), half of the lemon zest, and salt and pepper stirring to combine. Let the sauce reduce slightly.

Drain the pasta, reserving the pasta water. Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce, tossing to coat.

Add 1 cup of pasta water then let the linguine simmer over high heat allowing the water to evaporate stirring constantly. In just a few minutes, it will turn creamy, absorb all the flavors, and finish cooking. Add more water if the sauce becomes too thick.

Remove from the heat and stir in grated Parmesan cheese adding more pasta water as necessary to produce a creamy lemon sauce.

Taste and adjust with more lemon juice, lemon zest, or salt as you like to your taste. If the sauce to too tangy, add a little more butter.

Season with black pepper and serve immediately with a scattering of finely grated lemon zest. Extra Parmesan cheese can be added to each serving as desired.