formula one pasta with lemon and parsley

The final race of the Formula One season was on Sunday. I love the thrill of the overtaking, the strategy of the teams, the engineering genius, and the team work that is required to race well. One day I hope I get to see a Grand Prix in person, perhaps next year in Shanghai or Singapore. Then I will be a true "muffler bunny." :)

On a race day, there's not much time to eat, so make this speedy lunch or dinner. It is truly the fastest pasta dish I have ever made. If you use fresh pasta that cooks in only a few minutes then you can make the whole dish during the warm-up lap, just about. Or, if you use dried pasta, it takes as long to make as it does for the pasta to cook.


For true Formula One addicts, use racing car pasta! This was part of the German food festival at our local grocery store. I know Germans are racing-mad, but, really, I was still a bit surprised to see "Formel 1 Nudeln"! That is my kind of devotion to my favourite sport.

Racing Pasta
adapted from Glutton for Pleasure by Bob Blumer
serves 2

250 g pasta, cooked according to package directions, with 1/4 c (60 ml) of the cooking water reserved
3 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t red pepper flakes
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 c (125 ml) chopped fresh parsley, stems discarded (save and use for stock on another day)
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c (30 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a pan and when it's hot, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 30 seconds, until the garlic is no longer raw and the red pepper flakes are aromatic.
Add the reserved pasta cooking water, lemon zest, parsley, and pepper. Stir, then remove from the heat and toss with the pasta. Sprinkle the cheese on top and serve.