The Comfort of Lemony Pasta

Lemon egg noodles go a long way to lift your spirits.

Maybe you’re having one of those days. A day with a dishwater sky and your credit card bill just arrived. Your dog or cat has to go to the vet. You feel a little melancholy and you miss someone who is a soft spot in your life. You feel blah and you don’t know why. Or maybe you do know why but you need a break from it at this moment.

I have the answer — you need some lemon pasta. Your spirits shall be brightened in 20 minutes or less.

Go get a medium-ish sized pot — I use my battered ancient soup pot with a dented bottom — and fill it with water. Turn on the burner — there you go — you’ve just successfully done something good already. You’re on your way.

Now go get two lemons from the fridge. Wait — don’t cut them yet. Get a medium-sized bowl and your micro zester and zest the lemons within an inch of their lemony lives. Leave not a speck of yellow behind.

If you only have a beat-up grater — just use the smallest holes and don’t lose a finger. Remember — no one likes blood in their pasta.

And while your micro zester is out — also grate about 1/2 cup of fresh parmesan into the same bowl. And then grate a little more into a small dish so you can sprinkle it on top of your pasta, later.

Don’t even think of using the nasty, fake dried stuff that smells like old socks

Once you’ve zested the lemons, cut them in half and squeeze every last drop of juice out of both of them. Put your heart into it. Pretend the lemons have done you wrong and you’re getting even. Fish out any seeds that escaped.

At this point — turn back to your pot of boiling water. Add a half package of broad egg noodles if there’s two of you or maybe you’re solo, damn hungry and want to eat the works. No guilt here. You need egg noodles vs normal pasta as they absorb this sauce better. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Turn the heat down to medium-low as almost all good things in life are cooked there. Give the noodles a stir so they don’t stick to the bottom. They need about 5–8 minutes so keep an eye on them and stir occasionally.

Now get 4 eggs from the fridge. Crack the whites into one little bowl and keep the yolks in another. I know you have that down. We only need the yolks today so put the whites back in the fridge and tomorrow make an omelet for you and/or your dog.

Add the 4 yolks to the bowl with the lemon zest and juice. Whip it together with a small whisk until it is well blended. Now add about 3/4 cup of half and half cream — milk simply won’t do.

Stir gently so you don’t make a mess you have to clean up later.

Hey —how is the pasta doing? Taste a noodle. Fish your fork into the pot and grab one — Julia Child used to reach into boiling water with her finger. Is it too nubby and rubbery? Put it back in and give it another 2 minutes. The noodles must be soft but not mushy.

And then let’s time travel 2 minutes into the future.

OK — you’re ready to drain your perfectly cooked egg noodles.

Once drained, keep them in the pot and put it back on the burner you just turned off. Add all of the contents of your lemony-creamy-eggy-cheesy bowl into the pot and stir until all of the noodles are covered with sauce. Put the lid on for a minute.

Now go pour yourself a glass of wine. Chop up a little fresh parsley if you’re into that or even some dried parsley if you’re desperate. Make sure you have that extra grated parmesan ready.

Get your favorite bowl out and take a generous helping of your lemony pasta. Sprinkle the parsley on top and/or a good blanket of parmesan. Give it a mild shake of salt and pepper.

Get your wine. Go get a book or get ready to watch your favorite Netflix show. Your day is about to get so much better! And probably tomorrow too as this is excellent for lunch the next day.

Author’s Note: If you want to get fancier you can always add shrimp or cooked chicken or even a handful of frozen peas to this too. But try it my way the first time.

Thanks for reading! I have loads of food essays (delicious recipes too) and thoughtful and quirky simpler living essays waiting for you. (Well over 100 of them!) And this story caught the attention of NBC News in New York!