Ingredients

• 1 fresh lemon, sliced in half
• Olive oil
• 5 cremini mushrooms, each cut into 3 slices
• 1/2 red pepper, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small jar artichoke hearts, thinly sliced
• 3-4 scallions, sliced
• Fresh parsley and basil, chopped
• Grated parmigiana
• 300 g fresh linguine or fettuccine

Instructions

• Start to bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
• Heat a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add a bit of olive oil and place the lemon halves face-down to sear them.
• When the lemon halves have browned nicely, remove them and set them aside.
• Reduce heat to medium, add a generous dollop of olive oil, and arrange the mushroom slices on the pan. (Don’t crowd them or they will just steam.) Sear the mushrooms for a couple of minutes on each side.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the peppers, artichoke slices and garlic. Stir often to ensure garlic does not burn.
• By now the water should be boiling. Add the pasta and stir periodically so it separates and softens. Once it is al dente, lift it out of the water into the pan.
• Squeeze the juice from the lemon halves into the pan, then add the scallions, fresh herbs and parmigiana. Add a splash of pasta water if it seems dry.
• Toss it together in the pan to mix the ingredients, and serve it immediately.

Fettuccini with artichokes and grilled lemon