Spicy brown butter pasta with lemon thyme croutons

Updated at: Thu, 09 Nov 2023 16:42:56 GMT

Step 1

First, put your pasta water on to boil. Add a decent fistful of salt, your pasta will absorb all of the flavour which is exactly what we need to make a beautiful dish!

Step 2

Pop a saucepan onto medium heat, once it’s heated sufficiently, add your butter. Make sure it’s not too hot, we don’t want the butter to sizzle, we want it to melt gently

Step 3

Once your butter has melted, skim off any milk solids (the white flecks) and continue to cook for around 5-8 minutes. Ensure you constantly keep an eye on it, we want brown - not burnt butter! You’ll know when it’s done because there’ll be a beautiful nutty smell and your butter will be a gorgeous golden brown colour. Once it’s done, take it off the heat

Step 4

At this point, your water should be ready so go ahead and add your pasta. I cook mine for around 10 mins because I like my pasta to have a bit of a bite

Step 5

Next, add your garlic and sage to your brown butter, pop it back on a low heat and stir to incorporate. Keep stirring the garlic, we want a nice golden colour on it. Now, add your cheese (reserving some for garnish) allowing it to melt slightly before mixing. It’s important to note that the cheese won’t fully mix with the butter at this point. Take it off the heat until your pasta is ready

Step 6

When there’s around 10 minutes to go until your pasta is ready, put a saucepan on a medium heat. Add your diced baguette to a bowl with a drizzle of oil, salt, and thyme. Once your pan is hot, add a touch of oil to the pan, allowing it to heat up before adding your croutons. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Take off the heat, pop into a bowl and cover until you’re ready to assemble your dish

Step 7

When your pasta is ready, drain it off and reserve a cup of the pasta water. Put your sauce back on the heat and gradually add around two tablespoons of the pasta water, continuously stirring until incorporated. Continue adding the pasta water and mixing until your sauce is at its desired thickness, and take it off the heat. Add your lime zest (reserving some for garnish) and the juice of half of it, give it a taste, and add anything it may need. For me, I added more salt at this point but it’s just a personal preference. Add add your pasta and now you’re ready to serve!

Step 8

To assemble, pop your pasta in a bowl, sprinkle over your croutons and top with some more cheese, sage, and lime zest

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