Kelly’s Pasta al Limone

Kelly’s Pasta al Limone ~ a favorite ~  from the 2026 Winter SVS Hacienda Dinner with Rory’s Place.

For the Pasta Dough

1 ½ cups “00” Flour
2 Whole Eggs
Olive Oil
Pinch of Salt

Pour the flour in a mound on your countertop. Create a well in the middle, add the eggs, salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Using a fork, slowly whisk the yolks, incorporating more flour as you go. Alternatively, you can do this on low in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment by slowly pouring in the egg. Be sure to slowly incorporate the flour into the egg so you can create a smooth, even dough. Once the flour is all mixed in, use your hands to knead the dough until you have a mostly smooth and even ball, roughly 5 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest for 30 minutes to allow the flour to fully hydrate and the gluten to relax. 

Set the pasta roller to the widest setting and put the dough through. Fold it in thirds to make a square, rotate the piece 90 degrees, and put it back through the roller. Repeat this process 5-6 times, until you have a relatively smooth, and homogenous sheet. Throughout this process, dust the dough with more flour if it feels too wet or is starting to stick. If the sheet is too long, you can cut it in half and only work with one half of it at a time. Roll the dough widthwise, dust it with flour and wrap it in plastic.

Working one piece at a time, put the pasta through the roller, working your way down in settings until you have your desired thickness. Cut the pasta into roughly foot long sheets, dust generously with semolina flour and stack one on top of another. Once all the sheets are rolled out to the same thickness, stack a few sheets on top of each other, roll the stack widthwise, and using a sharp knife cut to desired width, thinner, for tagliatelle, thicker for pappardelle. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper, dust with semolina flour and transfer the cut noodles to the tray until you’re ready to cook them.

For the Al Limone sauce 

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Butter
1 clove of Garlic, thinly sliced
Black Pepper
¼ cup Cream
½ cup finely grated Parmesan and/or Pecorino Sardo plus more for garnish
2 Meyer Lemons

Put a pot of water on the stove to cook the pasta. Once boiling, add a generous handful of salt.   

Meanwhile, to build the sauce, heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan with the butter, garlic and black pepper and sweat until tender, without the garlic getting any color, about 1 minute. Add the cream and let it simmer for another minute. Add a ladle of the pasta water and turn the pan off until the pasta is cooked. 

Meyer lemon bits for garnish: Cut off a “cheek” of one of the lemons. Slice the “cheek” into thin strips, and then slice them across until you have little diced pieces. Set them aside.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until it is just short of al dente, about 1 ½ – 2  minutes. Add the pasta directly into the sauce pan over medium heat and toss to combine. Add the cheese and keep tossing or mixing with a pair of tongs until you have a smooth and creamy sauce. If it is getting too tight and thick, add more pasta water. If it seems too watery, turn the heat up. Add the zest of one of the lemons, followed by the remaining juice of both lemons. Toss to combine and continue emulsifying the sauce. You want it to be on the looser side because it will thicken as it cools. In the end you want a smooth, silky sauce that coats the pasta.

Divide the pasta between two bowls. Top the bowls with more freshly grated cheese and the Meyer lemon bits.