Delicate, like you and me...

For all pasta lovers, a quick and delicious dish that smells like spring. Especially now that it seems the sun's back, the temperature's becoming nice again (22°C today), and I really think this will be nice in the summer, too.
It's so great that my herb garden is growing again on my balcony (I missed it so over the winter), so I can just go out and pick up anything i need. Not that all the rain and the lack of sun we had over the last weeks helped much, but it's ok. I had to buy a new basil plant today, as I've harvested too much the one I had and there was nothing to pick any more.



Lemon, Ricotta and Herbs Spaghetti

(4 servings)
360 g spaghetti
200 g ricotta
3 TBspoons grated Parmigiano cheese
4 TBspoons extra virgin olive oil
a bunch of fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, chive, basil, marjoram)
1 lemon
Salt, pepper

In large serving bowl, mix together the ricotta, the parmigiano and the oil. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir in most of the finely chopped herbs and finely grated zest of ½ lemon.
Cook spaghetti in plenty of boiling, salted water and drain them when cooked al dente, saving a little water they were cooked in.
Mix the cooked spaghetti with the cheese stirring well, and adding a little water from cooking (just enough to make everything creamy.
Plate the spaghetti, drizzle them with little EVOO, sprinkle with the remaining chopped herbs and a little lemon zest.



Spaghetti con ricotta fresca, erbe e limone

(per 4 persone)
360 g di spaghetti
200 g di ricotta
3 cucchiai di parmigiano
4 cucchiai di olio extra vergine d’oliva
1 mazzetto di erbe fresche (timo, origano, erba cipollina, basilico, maggiorana)
1 limone non trattato
Sale e pepe

In una terrina riunite la ricotta, il parmigiano grattugiato e l’olio. Salate, pepate e aggiungete una parte delle erbe tritate e la scorza grattugiata di 1/2 limone. Mescolate bene.
Cuocete gli spaghetti in abbondante acqua salata, scolateli al dente conservando un po’ d’acqua di cottura e versateli nella ricotta.
Mescolate bene aggiungendo un po’ d’acqua tenuta da parte per ottenere una crema morbida.
Servite la pasta cosparsa con le erbe rimaste, un filo d’olio e qualche scorzetta di limone.



Špageti s ricottom, začinskim biljem i limunom

(za 4 osobe)
360 g špageta
200 g ricotte (svježeg kravljeg sira)
3 žlice ribanog parmezana
4 žlice djevičanskog maslinovog ulja
svežnjić svježeg začinskog bilja (timijan, origano, vlasac, bosiljak, mažuran)
1 neprskani limun
sol i papar

Pomiješajte u većoj zdjeli ricottu, parmezan i ulje. Dodajte soli i papra po ukusu, te dio sitno nasjeckanog mirisnog bilja.
Sitno naribajte koricu 1/2 limuna pa umiješajte u smjesu od sira.
Skuhajte špagete u slanoj vodi, i ocijedite (sačuvajte malo vode u kojoj su se kuhali).
Pomiješajte ocijeđene špagete sa sirom, dodajte malo vode u kojoj su se kuhali (ne previše, toliko koliko je potrebno da sve bude kremasto).
Rasporedite u tanjure, pospite s malo maslinovog ulja i ostatkom nasjeckanog mirisnog bilja, i po želji još malo svježe mljevenog papra i malo korice limuna.



Delicate like rain
Delicate like snow
Delicate like birds
Delicate just so
Delicate like air
Delicate like breeze
Delicate like you and me