Pasta al Limone

Steps

1. 1
   Finely grate the zest of both lemons and squeeze the juice of one and a half; you need about 60 ml of juice.
2. 2
   Cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water until 1 minute short of al dente, and reserve 250 ml of the cooking water before draining.
3. 3
   While it cooks, melt the butter in a wide frying pan over low heat with the lemon zest for 2 minutes, so the oils in the zest perfume the butter.
4. 4
   Add the lemon juice and 150 ml of the pasta water and bring to a simmer, whisking, until the liquid looks lightly milky.
5. 5
   Add the drained pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute, then take the pan off the heat.
6. 6
   Add the cheese a handful at a time, tossing constantly and adding more pasta water as needed, until it melts into a creamy sauce; added over the heat, it would turn stringy.
7. 7
   Season with black pepper and a little salt, scatter with torn basil and serve immediately.