Lemon Fettuccine (Amalfi, Italy)

In Amalfi, Italy, we were taught a delicious, bracing pasta dish of handmade lemon fettuccine tossed with a simple, quick sauté of garlic, olive oil and fresh lemon segments. To mimic the sweet, mild flavor of Amalfi lemons using the standard lemons available in U.S. supermarkets, we temper their tartness and acidity with a little sugar. Briefly cooking the lemon segments softens both their tang and texture so the pieces break down and disappear into the noodles. In place of freshly made lemon pasta, we opt for store-bought fresh fettuccini but boil it in water infused with strips of lemon zest; we later use some of the pasta water to build the sauce, and we chop the softened zest strips for tossing into the tangle of noodles.