Traveling people, traveling flora

Even after traveling for many years, one thing that never ceases to amaze me is how you can arrive in a world that seems totally different after just a few hours of travel. When I am going from Vienna to my parents in the south of Spain, there is always this change to a completely different language and culture. And even though I am not from either place originally, as I have spent some time in both places they both feel very familiar. Of course, not only culture is different but also the nature changes from the green hills, forests and vineyards around Vienna to hills that are much dryer and with the plants that I associate with that part of Spain: olive trees, almond trees and citrus fruit. Interestingly, not all plants that seem so fitting and natural to an area are originally from there. Flora and fauna sometimes seem to travel as much as human beings. On my last trip to my parents in spring, I was lucky enough that the last almond trees were still flowering, completely changing the look of the area with their light pink flowers. Originally, these nut trees are not native to Spain but come from the area of Southwestern Asia and the Levant. And the lemon trees of which Spain has plenty probably originate from the area of India, Myanmar and China. Having said that, the lemon tree entered Europe apparently no later than in the 2nd Century AD, making it quite an old inhabitant. And that non-natives can be successful is shown by the almond trees: Spain is the second producer of almonds worldwide.

These two plants also happen to be favourites of mine to cook with. Simply because of their flavour, but also because of their versatility which means you can use them in both sweet and savoury dishes, like this lemon and almond spaghetti. I have always loved lemon pasta and this is one of several different ways in which I like to prepare it.

Lemon and almond spaghetti
You can have this pasta on its own or with a simple salad as a quick and easy summer dinner or lunch. But of course, it is also not a bad option to use half a portion as a starter followed by, for example, some grilled fish and vegetables for a full meal.

Ingredients for 2

• 200 grams of spaghetti
• 2 lemons
• 1 small red chilli
• 1 clove of garlic
• 20 grams of butter
• Olive oil
• 60 grams of parmesan cheese, grated, plus some extra for serving
• Basil – a handful of fresh leaves
• 40 grams of roasted almonds
• Salt

Collect all your ingredients. Start by putting a large pot of salted water on the fire to boil for the pasta. Place a large frying pan with the butter and a splash of olive oil over a low to medium heat.
Meanwhile, wash and chop the ends of one of the lemons. Slice it once lengthwise in half and then across in slices that are as thin as you can manage. Remove any seeds that are in the lemon. Juice the other lemon and keep the juice separate. Remove the seeds from the red chilli and finely chop both the chilli and the garlic. Roughly chop the almonds and set aside.

Once the water is boiling, add the spaghetti and cook al dente according to the instructions on the packaging. The butter in the frying pan should by now have melted and started to bubble. Wait until it stops bubbling and add the garlic, chilli and the lemon slices. Turn the fire very low and cook this together for around 7 minutes until the garlic and the lemon slices are softening. Season with a good pinch of salt.

Once the pasta is ready, drain it but make sure to keep a glass of the pasta water.

Add the drained spaghetti to the pan with the garlic and lemon, add half of the lemon juice, the grated parmesan cheese and a splash of the pasta water. Mix this well and cook until the sauce is emulsifying, which should be very quickly. Taste the sauce and add the rest of the lemon juice and more salt if you like. If the sauce is too dry, add some additional pasta water.

Once the sauce has come together and is seasoned well, divide the spaghetti over two plates. Sprinkle the rest of the parmesan cheese and the chopped almonds over the pasta. Tear the basil leaves over as well and enjoy!