Lunchtime Pasta

I know I say this a lot, but one of the things that I love about Italy is that you can eat pasta for lunch - really, you're supposed to. I read (in a Rick Steve's guidebook, of course) that the average Italian eats two servings of pasta a day - at lunch and dinner - and also a half a pound of bread, while they're at it.

When we're at home in Colorado, we never eat pasta unless someone serves it to us and we never eat it at lunch unless it's a really special occasion. In Italy though, Ryan eats it for lunch at least twice a week as a pre-game meal, but my favorite time to eat it is at lunch on a cold day - or a rainy one - and since it's been cold and rainy for a week straight now, this Monday called for pasta at lunch.

I love this lemony linguine because it's so easy and fast to make and it's pretty light, so you don't need to take a nap after lunch - although some of us did anyway...

Lemon Linguine
Serves 2


Enough linguine (or whatever pasta shape you'd like to use) for two
1/3 cup of cream
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Meanwhile (in a sauce pan large enough to add the pasta when it's finished cooking) heat the cream over medium heat and add the rosemary, salt and pepper. When the pasta is ready, drain it, reserving a bit of the pasta water in case you need to use it to thin out the sauce. Add the pasta to the cream and add in the lemon juice and Parmesan. Stir together, serve immediately and you will instantly be warm.