Lemon sauce atop pasta is perfect taste for summer

Pasta is a family favorite at my house, but instead of the heavy, meat-based sauces I serve in the cooler months, I serve bowls of pasta laced with fresh pesto, uncooked tomatoes and slivered fresh basil or creamy lemon-infused sauce.

When British television chef and cookbook author Nigella Lawson added fresh lemon juice and rind to the classic creamy Alfredo sauce, I was hooked. The recipe was passed along to me by Catherine Boardman, an Augusta native whose family lived in London several years ago.

One Sunday evening, I found myself with leftover grilled chicken, so I tinkered with Ms. Lawson's recipe to come up with a heartier pasta toss. The sliced chicken, along with some slivered, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil took the lemon-cream pasta over the top.

The recipe has become a regular at my house, and because I don't always have leftover chicken on hand, I've added the step of sauting cut-up, boneless chicken breasts in butter while I boil the pasta. I've also replaced the usual Parmesan with shredded Asiago, which is available in most supermarket deli departments. The dish takes me back to the days when sun-dried tomatoes were found only in restaurants and pasta with pesto sauce was becoming chic.

I chose linguine for the pasta, but any long, thin strands work. Reserving half a cup of the hot pasta cooking liquid before draining the pasta reduces the amount of cream needed in the sauce. If you forget to remove pasta water, heat half a cup of chicken broth to add to the sauce.

After the pasta is cooked and drained, it is reheated briefly in butter or margarine. The added fat makes the pasta tasty. If you're watching your fat intake, you can reheat the pasta in one-quarter to one-half cup of chicken broth.

Another simple way to reduce the fat is to substitute a combination of one cup of fat-free half-and-half and one teaspoon of cornstarch for the cream. This can be added to the egg yolks and cheese before tossing with the pasta.

Because the recipe calls for uncooked egg yolks, be sure to simmer the pasta and sauce for a few minutes to cook them thoroughly.

You'll need to stir constantly to ensure that the eggs don't scramble, but because they're tempered with the hot pasta water, I haven't found this to be a problem.

Although I chose chicken for the dish, you can omit it or replace it with a pound of raw, peeled and deveined shrimp and saut them. If you have cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp in your freezer, defrost them and add them to the pasta along with the cream-egg-cheese mixture, rather than sauting them. Add a green salad tossed with your favorite vinaigrette to complete the menu.

Lemon-Cream Pasta Toss

1 pound linguine

1 tablespoon butter, plus 1/4 cup, divided

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Zest from 1 lemon and juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup lemon juice)

2 egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese, plus additional cheese for garnish

1/2 cup slivered, sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated according to package directions

1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced into thin slivers

Bring a large pot of water and about a teaspoon of salt to a boil. Add the linguine and cook according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, then drain the linguine.

While the linguine cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and season with salt and pepper. Saut until chicken is cooked through and no pink remains in the center. Add the lemon juice to the chicken and simmer 1 minute, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Combine the egg yolks, cream, shredded cheese, and lemon zest in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and return to the pot over medium heat. Add the 1/4 cup of butter, stirring until all noodles are coated. Stir in the chicken and lemon juice, cream mixture and sun-dried tomatoes. Add the reserved pasta water, a little at a time, until the sauce is creamy. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Toss in the basil just before serving and pass additional shredded Asiago or Parmesan at the table, if desired.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional information per serving (made with heavy cream): 562 calories, 26 grams fat (13 grams saturated), 140 milligrams cholesterol, 1,099 milligrams sodium, 54 grams carbohydrates, 29 grams protein, 1.5 grams fiber

Nutritional information per serving (made with fat-free half and half): 476 calories, 15 grams fat, 6 grams saturated, 99 milligrams cholesterol, 1,112 milligrams sodium, 56 grams carbohydrates, 29 grams protein, 1.5 grams fiber

Note: If you are looking for added fiber, whole-wheat linguine can be substituted for the dry enriched linguine. Nutritional analysis provided by registered dietitian Rachel B. Drew, nutritional education specialist with the Richmond County School Nutrition Program, in conjunction with the Augusta Area Dietetic Association.

Coming next week: Mexican Pulled Pork over Yellow Rice - This quick and easy recipe is from the Junior League of Augusta's new cookbook, Par Three Tea-Time at the Masters, Relaxed Entertaining Augusta, Georgia Style.

See Karin prepare the recipe at noon Tuesday on WJBF-TV (Channel 6).

Write to Karin Calloway in care of The Augusta Chronicle Newsroom, P.O. Box 1928, Augusta, GA 30903. Or send e-mail to karin.callaway@comcast.net.

You can find previous Quick Cooking recipes through the online archive at AugustaChronicle.com/karin.