Cracked Pepper Lemon Pasta Recipes

LEMONY CACIO E PEPE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti al dente according to package directions. Reserve 2 cups of pasta water and drain.
• Add 4 tablespoons of the butter to a large, straight-sided pan and heat over medium. Once melted, add the pepper and toast for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Add in about 1 1/4 cups of the reserved pasta water and the lemon zest, bring to a light simmer. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the cooked spaghetti, Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Using tongs or two wooden spoons, toss the pasta and cheese together, incorporating about 1/2 additional cup more pasta water. Keep tossing the pasta until the cheese has completely melted and the sauce is silky and coating the pasta, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and chives and toss to combine. Serve immediately, topped with extra Pecorino Romano and black pepper.

CRACKED BLACK PEPPER PASTA

Steps:

• Clean and dry a few coat hangers to dry the pasta on.
• Into the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, eggs, oil, and black pepper. Process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Put the mixture onto your work surface and knead it lightly for a few minutes until it is smooth. It should be quite stiff. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• To make in a pasta machine: Take a quarter of the pasta and pat it into a flat rectangle with your hands. Feed it through the widest setting on the pasta machine. Fold that piece in thirds into a rectangle shape and feed it through again. After you have fed it through on the initial setting, there is no need to keep folding it, just keep feeding it through, making the setting narrower each time.
• If the pasta rips while using the pasta machine, don't worry, just fold it back into a rectangle and feed it through the widest setting again. A rip may mean that there is an obstruction in the pasta machine between the rollers. If that is the case, just open the machine to the widest setting and let whatever was stuck in there fall out.
• If the pasta sticks to the machine, just flour the machine a little to help ease the pasta through.
• When you have fed the pasta through on the narrowest setting, sprinkle the top with a little flour and fold it in half, short end to short end, then again, and again and again until you have a smaller rectangle. With the folded edge facing you, cut vertical strips about 1/2-inch wide along the width of the pasta, then carefully take one strip, unfold it completely and hang it on the coat hanger.
• Repeat with the rest of the pasta, using a quarter piece of the dough each time.
• To make the pasta by hand: Dust the work surface very lightly with flour. Take a quarter of the dough and put it on the work surface. Pat the dough with your hands into a flat rectangle. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll it out until it is a very long and thin rectangle.
• My rectangle was 5 to 6 inches wide and very, very long. The pasta is ready when it is so thin that if you lift it up and put your hand behind it, you can see your hand through it.
• Sprinkle the top with a little flour and fold it in half, short end to short end, then again, and again and again until you have a smaller rectangle. With the folded edge facing you, cut vertical strips about 1/2-inch wide along the width of the pasta, then carefully take one strip, unfold it completely and hang it on the coat hanger.
• Repeat with the rest of the pasta, using a quarter piece of the dough each time.
• Once all of the pasta is hung, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta, in one or two batches depending on how big your pan is, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the pasta is just cooked through. Using a pair of tongs, remove the pasta from the pan and, drain in a colander. If cooking the pasta in batches keep the first batch warm while cooking the rest.
• Once all the pasta is cooked and drained, drizzle with some of the olive oil, sprinkle a few basil leaves over the top and serve immediately.
• This is delicious used in the Creamy Pancetta Sauce with Mushrooms and Parmesan.

LEMON PEPPER TENDERLOIN PASTA

Steps:

• For the lemon pepper seasoning: Mix the lemon zest, pepper, salt, garlic powder, mustard powder and onion powder in a bowl. Set aside.
• For the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the bucatini and cook for 1 to 2 minutes under the recommended time. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the tenderloin with 1 tablespoon of the lemon pepper seasoning. Add the steak to the skillet and cook, stirring as needed, until desired doneness, 4 to 5 minutes for medium rare. Remove to a plate and return the skillet to the heat.
• Add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved pasta water to the skillet. Add the remaining lemon pepper seasoning, the pasta and remaining 6 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Stir to combine and let the pasta start to simmer. Begin adding the Parmesan a handful at a time, tossing the pasta with each addition. Remove from the heat and continue to toss the pasta until well coated, thinning with the extra pasta water if needed. Divide the pasta into bowls. Top with the steak and garnish with the parsley. Serve with more Parmesan on the side.

PEPPERONI PASTA WITH LEMON AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, according to package directions, until about 2 minutes shy of al dente so that the pasta can finish cooking in the sauce. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add pepperoni and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisped and brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
• If the pan looks dry, drizzle in a little more oil. Add garlic, fennel seeds, red-pepper flakes (if using) and a large pinch of salt, and cook until garlic is lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook until it darkens, about 1 minute.
• Add the drained pasta, lemon zest and 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet. Stir until the pasta is al dente and well coated with the sauce. Add more pasta water, if needed, until the sauce is glossy and the pasta is cooked to taste.
• Cut the zested lemon in half and squeeze some juice into the pasta. Stir in herbs and taste, adding more lemon juice and salt, if needed. Cut the remaining half lemon into wedges and serve it alongside the pasta, which should be garnished with more herbs and a drizzle of oil, and sprinkled with Parmesan, if you like.

HOMEMADE LEMON PEPPER PASTA

Steps:

• Place the flour in a large bowl and form the "volcano".
• In a small bowl, combine the eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest and black pepper.
• Pour the egg mixture into the center of the flour and use a fork to start incorporating the flour into the mixture. Start with the inner rim and work in the flour from the bottom up. Spin the bowl counterclockwise if you're right-handed (or clockwise if left-handed) while working in the flour with the fork.
• Once the pasta forms large clumps, start kneading. When all of the loose flour has been incorporated and the dough has formed a rough but cohesive mass, about 4 minutes, transfer it to the board to finish kneading. (If loose flour remains and resists joining the dough mass, add 2-3 teaspoons water, toss with the loose flour, and incorporate into the dough mass.).
• (If using a pasta sheet rolling machine, knead until the dough is cohesive and moderately smooth, about 5 minutes.).
• (If NOT using a pasta sheet rolling machine, knead the bread for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic; check that dough has been kneaded long enough for hand-rolling by cutting it open: you should see small air bubbles inside and on the surface.).
• To check for the proper proportion of flour to liquid, press thumb into center of the ball of dough, it should come out clean. If too wet, sprinkle on some more flour (all-purpose flour is fine) and work inches If too dry, spray water with a mister and knead until the liquid has been absorbed.
• If making stuffed pasta, the dough should stick lightly to your fingers but pull away cleanly. For sheet pasta, add enough extra flour to make a firmer dough that releases easily from your fingers.
• If the dough is elastic and wants to spring back, separate dough into 6-8 balls, cover with a bowl or a damp cloth, or wrap in plastic, and allow it to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes to relax the gluten before rolling. The dough will continue to absorb the flour as it rests.
• If the dough is sticky after resting, and you're rolling it by machine, you may wish to incorporate more flour by sprinkling the dough when you roll out the pasta to keep it from sticking.
• Roll the pasta to the desired thinness, following pasta machine's directions (start at 1 and progress to desired level). Aim for level 7 for fettuccine. If the dough breaks apart, is irregularly shaped, or sticks to the machine and makes holes, do not worry. Just fold up the sheet of dough into a regular shape that fits the widths of the pasta machine. Dust the new piece of dough with flour, and start rolling again.
• For wide paparadelle strips, roll pasta sheet into a roll, and slice with a knife. Otherwise, use pasta cutter of your choice.
• In hot, humid weather, place a table fan on low speed near the pasta drying rack. Turn the pasta sheets several times so they dry out evenly without developing any mold before forming into nests and drying fully. (Note if cooking pasta the same day, there is no need to dry out the pasta.) Once the pasta has been cut and formed into portion-size nests, arrange on a tray that has been covered with waxed paper or parchment paper and sprinkled with semolina or cornmeal, cover with plastic wrap and store refrigerated up to 3 days.
• For dry pasta, dry until dry on the surface with the texture of smooth cardboard but not brittle. The sheets are dried enough if the cut edges are whitish in color.
• To cook, heat generously salted water at highest setting so that water will return to a boil quickly after pasta is added. Cook until al dente, about 4 minutes for fresh pasta.

CRACKED PEPPER LEMON PASTA

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to the packet directions.
• Put in a strainer to drain and then use the pot to make the dressing.
• Heat the olive oil and then throw in the garlic to cook for 15-20 seconds.
• Put in the lemon juice and then take the pan off the heat.
• Add in half the parmesan cheese and half the pepper, followed by half the pasta.
• Stir well.
• Add in the rest of the pasta, cheese and pepper as well as salt if desired.
• Mix well again and serve immediately, topping with extra cheese and pepper if you want it.
• Some chopped parsley or chives over top would be nice as well.