SPAGHETTI AL LIMONE

A dish that’s synonymous with the stunning Amalfi Coast, spaghetti with lemon and cream can be whipped up in a matter of minutes and invites a pairing with a similarly textured, juicy regional white wine, a Provence rosé or even a light red

- URSULA FERRIGNO

La Costiera Amalfitana, the Amalfi Coast, is also known as la divina costiera, ‘the divine coast’. This is no surprise to me because the whole area is magical, with its vertiginous terraces, historic churches and villas, pastelpainted villages clinging to the cliffs, all suspended between a clear blue sky and the sapphire waters of the Mediterranean. The Amalfi Coast is also where I was born and where I lived until I was 12 years old. Our home is Minori, one of the 13 villages officially included in the costiera. Even after we moved to the UK, we would travel back to Italy every summer to stay with my grandparents. To me it was, and still is, a paradise – even if it is a little busier now than it was during my childhood!

My grandmother cooked well, so she said, because she loved us well, and I treasure and cling to that thought. I also inherited my nonno’s love of lemons, and to this day, the very smell of lemons evokes the most wonderful memories, of heat and happiness, which is possibly the very essence of the Amalfi Coast and of Italy.

The wines to match By Fiona Beckett

On the face of it, this recipe couldn’t be easier, but lemon is always a bit of a tricky one. Do you go for a citrussy white like a Sauvignon Blanc, for example? In my view it’s too similar, so I’d personally opt for a more linear Italian white, such as a Greco di Tufo from Campania or a not-too-fruity Falanghina, both from the same region as the recipe.